Edentulism among Finnish adults of working age, 1978-1997

Objectives: The dental health of Finnish children and young adults has impr oved considerably during the last 25 years. At the same time, there are sti ll middle-aged or elderly individuals who have lost some or all of their te eth, since extractions were commonly used as a treatment for dental infecti ons during earlier decades. The aim of the present study was to analyze cha nges of the prevalence of and risk indicators for edentulism among Finnish adults of working age (15-64 years) from 1978 to 1997. Methods: The Nationa l Public Health Institute has, since 1978, conducted annual surveys concern ing health behavior among the Finnish adult population. The data were colle cted through a mailed questionnaire including questions on the number of mi ssing teeth. Sample sizes varied from 5000 to 6000 and the response rates f rom 70% to 85%. Results: The dental status profile of the Finnish adult pop ulation has changed considerably since 1978. The prevalence of edentulism d ecreased from 14% to 6% during the study years. At the same time, the numbe r of persons with complete dentition increased from 60% to 80%. The decreas e in edentulism was obvious in both sexes, but the change was more remarkab le among women. In 1997, the difference between the sexes had almost disapp eared. The differences between regional and educational groups were still m arked in 1997. Belonging to a certain birth cohort appeared to be the major factor affecting the percentage of edentulous subjects. In 1978 risk indic ators of total tooth loss included age, gender, length of education, geogra phical area, urbanization, marital status, and medication for headache. In 1997 risk indicators included age, length of education, geographical area, history of smoking, and perceived status of health. Conclusions: The number of totally edentulous working-age persons is rapidly decreasing in Finland . Edentulism was strongly associated with birth cohorts and is apparently a ccumulating in a diminishing group of people. Relevant factors that were st rongly associated with edentulousness did not vary considerably between the study years.