Tooth loss among Nigerians treated in teaching hospitals: a national pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to identify the causes and patterns of tooth loss among Nigerian adults.


BACKGROUND
Tooth loss continues to be a major problem in clinical dentistry and has received significant attention in everyday dental practice. In Nigeria there is a discernible lack of current data that would explain the reasons and patterns of tooth loss from its different geopolitical zones.


METHODS
The reasons for tooth extractions during a period of 12 months were obtained from the hospital records of teaching and specialist hospitals in Nigeria's six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows (SPSS) version 9.0.


RESULTS
A total of 4,204 teeth were extracted from 3,431 patients. Of these teeth 52.4 percent were lost due to dental caries while 30.2 percent were removed because of periodontal disease, 5.0 percent were missing as a result of trauma, and 3.9 percent were impacted and required extraction. The remaining 8.5 percent were extracted for a variety of reasons such as orthodontic treatment, overeruption, neoplasms, supernumerary teeth, attrition, a cystic lesion, and hypoplasia. Dental caries was the most common diagnosis given for tooth loss in the South-South (79 percent), South-East (68 percent), North-East (47 percent), North-West (69 percent), and North-Central (35 percent) zones followed by periodontal disease. In contrast, periodontal disease was the most common cause of tooth loss in the South-West zone (65 percent) and in the FCT (55 percent), followed by dental caries at 22 percent and 33 percent, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Although teeth were extracted based on a variety of diagnoses, dental caries was identified as the common reason cited for tooth loss in Nigeria and to a lesser extent periodontal disease. Also different reasons were given for tooth loss among the various geographical zones.


CONCLUSIONS
Tooth loss among Nigerians was attributed largely to dental caries and secondarily to periodontal disease. Both conditions can be prevented if diagnosed early enough and treatment is instituted in a timely manner.
Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. esantemitope@yahoo.com
Temitope A
TA
Esan
Adeyemi O
AO
Olusile
Michael A
MA
Ojo
Christopher I
CI
Udoye
Elizabeth O
EO
Oziegbe
Hector O
HO
Olasoji
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012737:Sex Factors; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014095:Tooth, Impacted / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult