Analysis of Tooth Extraction Causes and Patterns

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes and patterns of extraction of permanent teeth in the targeted population. METHODS: The study was conducted for a period of 11 months. An especially designed form was used to record the causes for extraction of a permanent tooth. Further, it was analyzed for age, gender, education, occupation, smoking, tooth position, endodontic treatment, chewing, esthetics, needs replacement, type of existing prosthesis, and causes for extraction. The various causes which were considered to determine association with the tooth extraction were dental caries, periodontal problems, trauma, orthodontics, prosthodontic failures, endodontic failures, and others. RESULTS: The percentage of extractions was almost the same in males and females aged. Maximum extractions were noticed in 36–45 years of age group (32.5%). The presence of caries was observed to be the main reason for extraction (68.1%), followed by periodontal problems (17.6%) and orthodontic problems (4.8%). The most frequently extracted posterior teeth were first mandibular molar (22.2%), followed by the third maxillary molar (15.2%). CONCLUSION: Dental caries was found to be the most common reason for the extraction of teeth. Molar teeth were found to be the most frequently extracted, with an increased number of extracted first premolars as a result of orthodontic treatment. Maxillary teeth are extracted more than mandibular, mainly due to caries and periodontal problems

An Assessment of Dentist’s Attitudes to the Shortened Dental Arch Concept

AIM: The rehabilitation of a complete dental arch is a traditional concept to maintain proper functional occlusion, but it is neither compulsory nor always attainable in many patients. Nevertheless, it is always important to provide a minimum number of teeth for efficient function. This study aimed to assess the dentist’s attitude to a shortened dental arch (SDA) concept and to assess their perception and application of it in their clinical practice in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. DESIGN OF STUDY: A questionnaire with 17 questions was used to reveal the views of 204 dentists from the area of study about SDA. The questionnaire set basically consists of two parts. The first part included the dentists’ demographic data, and the second one consisted of the questions regarding the SDA concept. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive analysis and associations with the factors were tested for significance using Chi-square tests, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among the respondents, 43.7% were aware of the SDA concept. Thus, the expected awareness about the SDA concept among the dentists was in the range of 36.31–51.05 with 95% confidence. A highly significant difference in awareness of SDA was observed between graduates and postgraduates. Among the respondents having more than 10 years of experience, the awareness level of SDA was 66.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of participants alleged that the SDA concept is useful in clinical practice and is a useful treatment modality for older adults with limitations preventing complex restorative care. However, the application of the SDA varied significantly among dentists