Factors Contributing to Tooth Retention among Elderly Women.

Pattern of tooth loss in an elderly population from Ibadan, Nigeria

“…It is difficult to compare the 1967 study with this recent study because it included people who were not elderly. However, edentulousness of 1.3% is still very low especially when compared with edentulousness in studies in the United States of America (20%) and studies in some developed countries 5,6,7,10 . Mean tooth loss of 4.5 teeth confirms the previous study in Nigeria 17 .…”

“…With a mean number of standing teeth of 27.5 teeth, these elderly more than satisfy the requirement for a minimum dentition. Quite remarkable is the fact that many of these elderly people 48% (331) have not lost any teeth, when compared with studies in the United States and England where more than 20% and 33% respectively have lost all their teeth 12,6 . This difference can be traced to the history of the different causes of tooth loss.…”

“…Indices of oral health such as tooth loss, edentulousness, caries experience, periodontal health and oral pathology demonstrated very poor oral health in the elderly 4 . Tooth loss and edentulousness were high in many of the studies in the industrialised countries 5,6 . In many states in America it was demonstrated that more than 20% of the elderly individuals were completely edentulous 5 .…”

“…Brazilian elderly had a mean of 4.29 sextants without any teeth 8 . A study in Japan recorded a mean of 3.8 standing teeth in 80 year old elderly women 6 . Nineteen per cent of the Swedish elderly were edentulous in the Kungsholmen elders oral health study (KEOHS) 9 .…”