Currently, dental implant treatment is evaluated on the basis not only of restoring masticatory function, but also a variety of other factors, including the implant and superstructure survival rate and psychological impacts [1-3]. Numerous factors must be taken into account, to offer highly predictable implant treatment, and there is no doubt that prosthetic-related factors such as the type and compatibility of the prosthesis, as well as occlusion, make a major contribution to that goal [4-9].

Recently, a restoration-driven approach to implant treatment has gained recognition and is being put into practice on a broad basis [10,11]. However, an increasingly diverse range of patient cases has led to a situation in which it is impossible to ascertain such aspects of actual practice as prosthesis type and design, making it necessary to reaffirm the importance of treatment carried out from a prosthetic perspective [12]. Many surveys querying dentists or patients with regard to implant treatment have been reported in the literature, addressing such topics as the state of implant treatment in particular countries and regions [13,14], quality of life and patient satisfaction [15-17], peri-implantitis and mucositis [18], and implant education [19,20]. However, very few surveys have queried dental technicians, whose job it is to fabricate implant prostheses [21,22].

Dental technicians play a major role in current implant treatment because of increases in both the importance of their participation as part of the treatment team from the treatment planning stage [21] and the frequency of prosthesis repairs, refabrication, and related procedures in the event of prosthetic complications. In particular, the types of prosthetic complications being experienced and associated trends are becoming clear thanks to numerous systematic reviews undertaken recently to investigate the implant complications. Fixed prostheses are prone to issues such as screw loosening, crown detachment, and fracturing of the veneering material on a frequent basis [23-27]. Similarly, implant overdentures are frequently affected by progressive loosening of attachments, denture base fractures, and a sequential need for relining [28,29]. However, because understanding the status of these complications is based on the results of surveys targeting dentists, information is needed on the situation as seen from the standpoint of implant technicians, to clarify the causes of these complications and the techniques for dealing with them. Issues including inadequate communication between dental technicians and dentists and insufficient instructions for technicians have been pointed out in the past [21,30,31]. These reports derive from surveys targeting older fixed or removable prosthesis designs, leaving it unclear not only whether those issues have been rectified in the face of expanding use of implant prostheses in recent years, but also to what degree the opinions and wishes of dental technicians are being reflected in implant treatment.