| Abstract [eng] |
Introduction: Tooth loss is a significant indicator of oral health. Removable dentures are considered as a large dental defects’ restoration option. In Lithuania, there are no studies examining the prevalence of removable dentures or their association with various factors, so this study may provide relevant information on the current oral health situation in Lithuania. Aim: To assess the prevalence of removable dentures among adult population of Lithuania and to investigate the associations between denture wear and different genders, age groups, places of residence and educational levels. Materials and methods: An epidemiological study was carried out. Randomly selected 1405 Lithuanian residents aged 35–74 years who agreed to participate in the study were examined. The presence of removable dentures was assessed clinically by a single dentist in 15 different Lithuanian healthcare institutions. Information about age, sex, place of residence and educational level was collected according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Microsoft Excel 2022 and SPSS version 29.0 (IBM, Somers, NY) were used for statistical analysis. Chi-square (χ2) test was used to determine the differences in groups proportions and binary logistic regression was used to determine predicted probability of removable prostheses wear. Results: The study involved 1405 adults living in Lithuania, of whom 939 (66.8%) were women and 466 (33.3%) were men. 19.4% (n=272) of the subjects wore removable dentures of any type. Partial removable dentures (PRD) were worn by 224 subjects and complete removable dentures (CRD) were worn by 72 subjects. The proportion of removable denture wearers was higher in the group of people over 65 years of age (N=163, 43.5%) and in the group of people with lower or secondary education (N=46, 7.8%) (p<0.001). A higher proportion of people over 65 years (N=131, 34.9%; N=49, 13.1%) and those with lower education (N=119, 20.3%; N=46, 7.8%) wore PRD or CRD (p<0.001). Also, the risk of having any type of prosthesis was found to be higher in the group of elders (OR 1.119, 95% CI 1.100; 1.138) compared to younger people, but lower in a higher educational level group (OR 0.918, 95 %, CI 0.871; 0.968). Older age was the only statistically significant predictor while assessing the PRD risk model (OR 1.110, 95% CI 1.090; 1.130). The risk of wearing a CRD was lower in higher educational level group (OR 0.915, 95%, CI 0.841; 0.995) but higher in the elderly group (OR 1.113, 95%, CI 1.079; 1.148). Conclusions: The results showed that 2 out of 10 Lithuanian adults wore removable dentures. Age and educational level were found to be important factors associated with removable denture wear. Older patients have higher tooth loss and more frequent wear of removable dentures. Higher education is an indicator of less removable dentures wear. |
