A short report on tooth replacement in an older suburban population in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: To determine: the knowledge of the participants about removable dentures, importance of tooth replacement; prevalence of tooth loss and denture use; and factors associated with its non-use among an elderly population in Nigeria. BACKGROUND: Tooth loss without replacement can impact negatively on the quality of life of the elders, thus making use of denture a basic requirement for those with partial or complete edentulous arches in developed countries. It is, however, not known if this is the case among elders in suburban Nigeria. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-section of 392 consenting elderly participants aged >/=65 years residing at Idikan, Ibadan, Nigeria, were interviewed on their biodata, knowledge of removable denture and importance of tooth replacement, history of use of denture and reasons for non-use where applicable. Oral examinations for the presence of missing teeth and denture were conducted by an examiner. Data were analysed with SPSS and P value set at <.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 73 (SD = 9.2) years. About 39% of the participants believed that it was important to replace missing teeth, 56.0% had poor knowledge about tooth replacement options, and 47.7% had at least a missing tooth. Only 7.1% of those with missing teeth had them replaced and all were using removable acrylic partial dentures. Financial constraint was the main reason for non-replacement of missing teeth (80.1%). Age, gender, occupation before retirement, income, level of education and presence of physical impairment were associated with non-use of denture (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Many elderly individuals had poor knowledge about removable dentures and the importance of tooth replacement. About half of the participants had full complement of teeth and only 7.1% of those with tooth loss reported denture wear. Major reasons for non-use of dentures were due to economic reasons.