Prevalence and Reasons for Tooth Loss in a Sample from a Dental Clinic in Brazil

摘要

Purpose. To evaluate the prevalence and reasons for teeth extractions in a sample from a dental clinic in Brazil. Methods. The prevalence of teeth mortality was analyzed by gender, age, tooth type and reasons for extraction on 800 teeth of 439 subjects, whose data was collected in clinical records in a convenience sample. Results. The groups with range from 35 to 44 years, 45 to 54 years and 55 to 64 years revealed significantly greater number of teeth extractions than other age groups (P < 0.0001). The anterior teeth loss increased significantly with aging, while the tooth mortality of premolar and molar were higher in younger people. The caries was the more prevalent reason for tooth mortality among young and adults up to 44 years old, while the periodontal disease was the main reason for extractions from 45 years old until range of 81 years (P < 0.0001). Conclusions. It can be suggested that some reasons for tooth loss were age-dependent, but the caries and the periodontal diseases were the main reasons for tooth mortality in this Brazilian sample. Studies concerning the epidemiology in dentistry have showed that dental caries and periodontal diseases are the most prevalent pathologies that affect the oral cavity. Previous studies performed by American researchers had suggested that dental caries was the main reason for teeth extraction, and other studies accomplished in New Zealand, Sweden, and even in Brazil confirmed that caries may lead to tooth mortality. On the other hand, some studies suggested that periodontal disease was the most prevalent reason that leads to tooth loss. Thus, controversial findings could be explained by differences in the characteristics of the study population, immunological and genetic factors, cultural beliefs, and socioeconomic characteristics, among others. Immunological and genetic reasons are some of the contributory factors that may explain why some populations exposed to the same bacterial etiologic factors did not develop similar pathological conditions.