Reasons for Tooth Extraction at the Winterveldt Clinic: 1998-2002

Tooth extraction is the oldest, and still the most common form of dental treatment in developing countries despite advances in medicine and dentistry. Caries, periodontitis, orthodontics, trauma and prosthodontic are the main reasons why extractions continue to be done frequently. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine reasons for tooth extractions at the Winterveldt clinic and to identify trends in tooth loss for the period 1998 to 2002. Methods: A descriptive, retrospective and quantitative study design was followed. Data from 3794 patient records were studied. Information on the nature of treatment, gender, and period of consultation, type of tooth and reason for extraction was captured on an abstraction form and transferred into a database prior to analysis. SPSS (version 10) was used in the analysis. Chi-square and multivariate analysis were used to measure association between variables and to evaluate the trends. Results: Dental caries was the main reason for tooth extraction (51%) in patients seeking a consultation at the Winterveldt Clinic, followed by periodontitis (21%). Dental caries was also the main reason for extraction in children, whilst periodontitis was the main reason for tooth loss in adults. More females than males presented for treatment throughout the period of study. Conclusions: Extractions still account for a large proportion of dental treatment. More emphasis should be placed on primary prevention and education in order to reduce tooth loss. A significant difference in the distribution of reasons of extractions was found in different age categories and gender. Annual trends of reasons for extractions did not differ significantly.