Socio-demographic factors and edentulism: the Nigerian experience

A 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.No 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.The 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.Edentulism (partial or total) is an indicator of the oral health of a population [1]. It may also be a reflection of the success or otherwise of various preventive and treatment modalities put in place by the health care delivery system [2]. Many patients also regard edentulism as self-mutilating and may be a strong incentive to seek dental treatment [3].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 [5-7].Previous studies have also 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].Some studies reported that the incidence of edentulism correlated with educational levels and income status, with those in the lower levels exh