Socio-demographic factors and edentulism: the Nigerian experience

Temitope Ayodeji Esan,Ayodeji Omobolanle Esan,Adeyemi Oluniyi Olusile,Patricia Adetokunbo Akeredolu

doi:10.1186/1472-6831-4-3

Temitope Ayodeji Esan, Ayodeji Omobolanle Esan + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-4-3

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Abstract

BackgroundThe rate of total edentulism is said to be increasing in developing countries and this had been attributed mainly to the high prevalence of periodontal diseases and caries. Several reports have shown that non-disease factors such as attitude, behavior, dental attendance, characteristics of health care systems and socio-demographic factors play important roles in the aetiopathogenesis of edentulism. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between socio-demographic factors and edentulism.MethodsA total of 152 patients made up of 80 (52.6%) males and 72 (47.4%) females who presented in two prosthetic clinics located in an urban and a rural area were included in the study. The relationship between gender, age, socio-economic status and edentulism in this study population was established.ResultsNo significant relationship between gender and denture demand was noted in the study. The demand for complete dentures increased with age while the demand for removable partial dentures also increased with age until the 3rd decade and then started to decline. A significant relationship was found between denture demand and the level of education with a higher demand in lower educational groups (p < 0.001). In addition, the lower socio-economic group had a higher demand more for prostheses than the higher group.ConclusionsThe findings in this study revealed a significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and edentulism with age, educational level and socio-economic status playing vital roles in edentulism and denture demand.

Highlights

The rate of total edentulism is said to be increasing in developing countries and this had been attributed mainly to the high prevalence of periodontal diseases and caries
While the rate of total edentulism is decreasing in developed countries, the reverse is the case with developing countries and this had been attributed mainly to the high prevalence of periodontal diseases and caries [5,6,7]
Previous studies have shown that several non-disease factors such as attitude, behavior, dental attendance, characteristics of health care system and socio-demographic factors play important roles in the aetiopathogenesis of edentulism [3]

Summary

Introduction

The rate of total edentulism is said to be increasing in developing countries and this had been attributed mainly to the high prevalence of periodontal diseases and caries. Several reports have shown that non-disease factors such as attitude, behavior, dental attendance, characteristics of health care systems and socio-demographic factors play important roles in the aetiopathogenesis of edentulism. Edentulism (partial or total) is an indicator of the oral health of a population [1]. It may be a reflection of the success or otherwise of various preventive and treatment modalities put in place by the health care delivery system [2]. Previous studies have shown that several non-disease factors such as attitude, behavior, dental attendance, characteristics of health care system and socio-demographic factors play important roles in the aetiopathogenesis of edentulism [3]. A study done in a rural area of Eastern Guatemala showed that social and environmental influence such as poverty, lack of proper education and inadequate diet contributed to widespread premature and heavy losses of permanent teeth [10]

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