Implant Placement Techniques Among Dentists in Herat City: A Digital Perspective

Background: Dental implants are widely used to replacement of missing teeth and play a critical role in restoring oral function and improving the quality of life of patients. In recent years, increased awareness among both patients and dental practitioners has led to a growing demand for implant therapies. Assessing dentists’ knowledge, clinical experience, and utilization of implant techniques—particularly digital approaches—is especially important in developing resource-limited settings. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, clinical experiences, and implant placement techniques used by dentists actively involved in implant therapy in Herat city, with a particular focus on digital implant-related practices. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among dentists in Herat city. A purposive sampling method was used to ensure the reliability and clinical relevance of the data. Although approximately 90 dentists have reported some level of experience with implant placement, many lacked sufficient or continuous clinical activity. Dentists with minimal, irregular, or no implant placement during the preceding year were excluded because of insufficient experience in accurately responding to the study questions. Consequently, only dentists with substantial and ongoing clinical involvement in implant therapy were included in the study. Seventeen eligible dentists met the inclusion criteria and participated in this study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, implant training background, number of implants placed, implant techniques, use of digital tools, and related clinical experience. Statistical analyses was performed using SPSS version 21. Results: The findings indicate that implant dentistry in Herat city is a relatively recent practice, with an approximate history of 11 years. Most participating dentists acquired implant-related knowledge through continuing education courses, while the contributions of universities and formal academic training programs remained limited. The annual number of implants placed was lower than that reported in other countries; however, internationally recognized implant systems were commonly used. Advanced procedures, including immediate loading and full-arch implant rehabilitation, were reported by a subset of practitioners, whereas the use of digital tools such as surgical guides and custom healing abutments was limited. Conclusion: Implant therapy in Herat city is predominantly driven by privately acquired clinical training rather than structured academic education. Although the use of dental implants is increasing, clinical experience and access to advanced digital implant techniques remain uneven among practitioners. These findings underscore the need for greater academic involvement and the development of structured implant education programs to support sustainable advancement of implant dentistry in low-resource settings.