Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jun;64(5):214-5, 218.

Patterns and reasons for tooth extraction at the Winterveldt Clinic: 1998-2002

R R Lesolang  1 , D P Motloba, R Lalloo
Affiliations
  • PMID: 19725333

Patterns and reasons for tooth extraction at the Winterveldt Clinic: 1998-2002

R R Lesolang et al. SADJ. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Tooth extraction is the most common form of dental treatment in developing countries despite significant advances in medicine and dentistry. Dental caries, periodontitis, orthodontics, trauma and prosthodontics are the main reasons for extractions.

Objective: To determine the patterns of tooth extractions and the reasons for these extractions in a primary care dental clinic attached to a dental training institution.

Methods: A descriptive, retrospective and quantitative study design was followed. Data was gathered from 3793 patient files to record the following variables: age, gender, type of tooth extracted and reason for the extraction.

Results: Almost 60% of teeth extracted were lower and upper molars. The main reasons for extractions were dental caries (47.9%) and periodontitis (22.6%).

Conclusions: The findings of the study show an urgent need to reverse the trends in extractions and more emphasis should be placed on primary prevention in order to reduce tooth loss.

PubMed Disclaimer