2021 Volume 71 Issue 3 Pages 153-159
Tooth loss is a complex outcome that reflects an individual’s history of oral disease and its treatment over his or her lifetime. The aim of this study was to investigate susceptibility to loss by tooth type and analyze the tooth loss pattern by applying item response theory (IRT) and Bayesian network analyses. The subjects were 276 elderly adults residing in 12 fee-based care facilities. Three dentists conducted oral examinations to determine the presence or absence of teeth and their locations. Statistical analysis was carried out at the tooth level. Among the 276 subjects participating in this study, 75 (27.2%) were edentulous. Mandibular 1st molars were the most frequently lost teeth, and mandibular canines were the most frequently preserved. The tooth loss pattern was separately analyzed for the maxilla and mandible. The starting point of the tooth loss pattern was set to either the maxillary 2nd molar or the mandibular 1st molar. When the maxillary 2nd molar was lost, the maxillary 1st molar tended to be lost, followed by the maxillary 1st premolar. In the mandible, when the 1st or 2nd molar was lost, both the premolar and frontal teeth tended to be lost.
The present study analyzed the tooth loss pattern with Bayesian network analysis. The molars might be the starting point of the tooth loss pattern. Therefore, to prevent such a pattern, it is important to preserve the health of the molars.
