Attitudes of Patients with Tooth Loss to Denture Use

Preliminary data obtained from Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, National University of Laos revealed that 75% of patients with tooth loss did not use dentures. Objective: To describe attitudes of patients with tooth loss to denture uses. Methods: This study was performed at Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, National University of Laos. Twenty-four patients with tooth loss were interviewed by a dentist. The interviews were conducted using a questionnaire (closed- and open-ended questions). Information was collected about demographic characteristics, the number of lost teeth and attitudes to denture use. Written informed consent was obtained before the interviews. Results: Most of the patients (63%) were female aged 16 to 68 years with a mean age of 32.2 years. Thirty-three percent of these patients were educated at the high school level. It was found that 83.3% of the patient did not use the denture. Most of them (54.2%) believed that it was not necessary to use any dentures. Replacement of missing anterior teeth was the primary important factor for motivating denture uses. Improved mastication was the secondary important factor. Twenty-two percent of the patient did not know the effects of tooth loss on oral health whereas 20.8% ignored the effects. Conclusion: Most patients with tooth loss did not have a positive attitude to denture use. Esthetics rather than mastication is the important factor for motivating denture use.