Knowledge and Behaviour of Tooth Loss and Artificial Teeth among Females Residing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of education, age and income toward knowledge and behavior of replacing missing teeth and to assess the prevalence of tooth loss among females residing in Jeddah. A ran- dom sample of female residents aged 18 years old and above in Jeddah were surveyed by written questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used. More than half of the subjects (59%) believed that artificial teeth are not as good as natural teeth. The majority of them (86%) were aware that it is better to replace missing teeth, and (83%) knew that not replacing missing teeth has bad consequences. Thirty-four percent (34%) thought it is important to replace missing teeth for only chewing food properly. There were no sig- nificant differences among different levels of education. The distribution of missing teeth, artificial teeth and type of prosthesis were significantly affected by age distribution and educational level. More than half of the respondents (64%) lost their teeth due to caries. Most of the subjects (87%) brush their ar- tificial teeth daily and 7.9% wash them with water and soap. In conclusion, different levels of education had no significant effect regarding knowledge concerning artificial teeth, and teeth replacement. Education and age have a significant effect towards missing teeth and type of prosthesis. Income was not a significant factor in relation to missing and artificial teeth, and type of prosthesis in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Caries followed by periodontal disease were the main reasons for losing teeth.