Tooth loss and oral rehabilitation in Greek middle-aged adults and senior citizens.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of tooth loss in Greek individuals aged 35 to 44 and 65 to 74 years in relation to sociodemographic parameters and to describe their prosthetic status and needs.

Materials And Methods: A stratified cluster sample of 1,188 middle-aged adults and 1,093 senior citizens was selected according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for national pathfinder surveys. Tooth loss and prosthetic status and needs were recorded according to WHO criteria. Sociodemographic data were collected through face-to-face interviews.

Results: Complete edentulism affected 0.3% of individuals aged 35 to 44 years and 31.5% of those aged 65 to 74 years. Most middle-aged adults (92.1%) had ≥ 21 natural teeth, while the corresponding percentage for the senior citizens was 23.1%. The mean number of missing teeth was 5.2 in middle-aged adults and 21.6 in senior citizens. The multivariate analysis showed that education level was the only predictor of tooth loss in both age groups. Approximately 38% of those aged 35 to 44 years and 80% of those aged 65 to 74 years had dental prostheses, while 47.6% of middle-aged adults and 66.3% of senior citizens did not need any prosthetic treatment. The need for complete dentures was relatively low in both age groups. Comparisons of the present results with those of 1985 indicate that the dentate status of Greek adults aged 35 to 44 years has not improved. Furthermore, the prevalence of tooth loss in the elderly population was high compared with internationally reported findings.

Conclusion: The replacement of missing teeth with fixed or removable prostheses will continue to be common in Greece for the foreseeable future.