Dental implant use in New Zealand in 2004.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of dental implant providers in New Zealand, to evaluate providers' dental implant treatment strategies, and to determine the nature of barriers to implant usage in New Zealand.

Design: A postal survey questionnaire was sent to all registered dentists in New Zealand (N=1590).

Method: Data were analyzed with the SPSS statistical package.

Results: Replies were received from 1005 (63.2 percent) of the surveyed dentists. The majority of dentists (76.2 percent) are interested in dental implants and promote them in their practices. Implant dentistry is performed by 49.5 percent of the respondents, with the prosthodontic aspects of implant dentistry are performed by 79.5 percent of these dentists, while the surgical stage is referred to specialists in 89.0 percent of the cases. The greatest barrier to dental implant treatment is cost. Implant dentistry is most often provided when there is financial support from ACC.

Conclusions: The extent of dental implant use in New Zealand is still relatively limited. Dentists understand the benefits of dental implant therapy, but the perceived expense of treatment prevents optimal utilization.