The emotional effects of tooth loss: a preliminary quantitative study

Aim To establish how widespread the emotional effects of tooth loss are. Method A questionnaire, distributed to 100 edentulous people undergoing rou tine prosthetic care in the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry at Guy's, Ki ng's and St Thomas' Dental Institute (GKT), was used to explore the emotion al effects of tooth loss. Results Ninety four people completed the questionnaire of whom 42 stated th at they had experienced difficulties in accepting the loss of their teeth. In comparison with people who had no difficulties in accepting the situatio n, these people were: more likely to feel less confident about themselves; more likely to feel inhibited in carrying out everyday activities; and less able to accept the inevitable change in facial shape which occurs followin g the loss of teeth. Additionally, they took longer to come to terms with t heir tooth loss (All these differences were statistically significant). Jus t over three-quarters of the people who were unprepared for the loss of the ir teeth, felt that an explanation from the dentist prior to dental extract ions would have helped. Conclusion The impact that tooth loss can have on people and their Lives sh ould not be underestimated. In this study it affected 45% of the participan ts.