TOOTH RETENTION AND TOOTH LOSS IN THE PERMANENT DENTITION OF ADULTS -UNITED-STATES, 1988-1991

While the overall prevalence of tooth loss and edentulism has been dec lining in the United States over the past several decades, important v ariations remain among subgroups of the population. Data from Phase 1 of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) provide the most current estimates of the prevalence and distribu tion of tooth retention and tooth loss in the United States. Weighted analyses were conducted for all adults 18+ years of age (n = 8,366) an d for selected age, gender, and race-ethnicity groups. In 1988-91, 89. 5% of the population was dentate, and 30.5% had retained all 28 teeth. The mean number of teeth retained was 21.1 for all adults and 23.5 fo r dentate persons. The most commonly retained teeth in the mouth were the six anterior teeth in the lower arch. Conversely, 10.5% of the pop ulation was edentulous. Partial edentulism was much more common in the upper arch than in the lower arch. The most commonly missing teeth we re the first and second molars. Age was strongly related to every meas ure of tooth retention and tooth loss. Gender was not related to any o f these measures, after adjustment for age. Race-ethnicity was consist ently related to these measures, after adjustment for age and gender. In general, Mexican-Americans had the lowest and black non-Hispanics t he highest rates of tooth loss. Future research needs to examine a wid e range of potential correlates of tooth retention and tooth loss befo re we can understand the complex interplay among the personal, dental, and environmental factors influencing tooth retention and tooth loss in the United States.