Abstract
Introduction : Periodic maintenance therapy is necessary to maintain long-term stability of implant prosthetics. Many re gions in Japan are facing depopulation and an aging population, resulting in decreasing availability of public transportation. Consequently, social and other activities among the elderly are impacted negatively, including visits to clinics. This study ex amined the state of patient attendance of post-implant maintenance programs (PIMP) in five areas in Kyushu where depopu lation is increasing.
Methods : A questionnaire was sent by post to the head of each of the five clinics who had consented to participate in this study. The questionnaire was on the status of patient attendance for maintenance therapy and asked about the following items. (1) The patients were divided into three groups based on their attendance status for PIMP : group 1 ─ those with pe riodic attendance for maintenance, group 2 ─ those with irregular attendance, and Group 3 ─ those with complete non-atten dance. (2) The patients with non-attendance were phoned to ask about the reasons for complete non-attendance in PIMP. (3) The patients were asked about modes of transport to clinics and the time required for transport.
Results : There was a total of 1,036 maintenance patients among the five clinics. They consisted of 58.2% women and 41.8% men, and the age ranged from 19 to 92 years. Of the 1,036 patients, 63.9% had periodic attendance for maintenance, 14.7% had irregular attendance, and 21.4% had complete non-attendance. The attendance rates (periodic and irregular attendance) by age group were 61.4% for patients younger than 40 and approximately 80% for those 40 or older, indicating a significant dif ference between these age groups. Of the 1,036 patients, 825 patients required less than 30 minutes for transport to the clinic. The attendance rate was 79.4% for patients requiring less than 30 minutes, which was significantly higher than that for pa tients requiring 30 minutes or more. Regarding modes of transport to clinics, the majority of patients in every clinic used their own car. A few of the patients traveled on foot, public bus, or train.
Discussion and Conclusion : The time required for transport to clinics and the patient's age were factors that influenced the attendance rates for implant maintenance visits. Among the elderly patients, an increase in death and illness was the rea son for non-attendance. Since the majority of the patients traveled to clinics in their own car, it is a concern that patients who have difficulty getting to hospitals and clinics will likely increase as they age.
