2001 Volume 51 Issue 1 Pages 57-62
This study was carried out to investigate current reasons for tooth extraction in Okayama Prefecture. A total of 1,046 dentists belonging to the Okayama Dental Association were requested to file a recording sheet for each tooth extracted during a two-week period in July 1998. Within the period, 399 of the dentists returned the forms. The following results were obtained. 1. The dentists had extracted 4,594 teeth, with a mean of 5.76 teeth per week. 2. Periodontitis accounted for 46.1% of the teeth extracted, while 42.1% of teeth were lost due to dental caries. 3. The mean age of patients was 53.3 years old for dental caries and 58.8 years old for periodontitis. Except for the third molar, the subjects had their upper first premolar extracted prematurely, followed by the upper second molar and the lower second molar. 4. In patients under 45 years old, extractions for dental caries were predominant. In the age over 45 years old, periodontitis was dominant. 5. Compared with the previous investigation in 1986 and 1987, the number of teeth extracted per dentist had decreased. The mean age of the patients was higher, and the primary reason for extraction changed from dental caries to periodontitis.
