By Dr. Joseph D. Lim
Edentulism simply means complete tooth loss.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that almost seven percent of people aged 20 years or older experiences complete tooth loss.
For people aged 60 years or older, nearly one in four people (23 percent) worldwide has the condition.
Losing teeth can be psychologically traumatic and impairs social behavior and limits the ability to eat and digest food, severely impacting on nutrition and health.
Edentulism is more common among the poor and among women.
After total tooth loss, bone loss in the jaw continues, more so in the upper mandible, four times more than the maxilla or lower jaw.
The bone loss may alter appearances such as face height.
Mastication or the ability to chew is affected by the number of functional teeth.
A set of less than 20 teeth may impair mastication efficiency, performance and the ability to chew.
Because of the increasing number of senior citizens, the use of removable dentures continues to increase.
Most edentate people are elders who wear complete dentures in the bottom, upper or both jaws.
According to the US National Institute of Health, those who wear dentures have only about one-fifth to one-fourth the bite strength and masticatory force compared to those who have adequate sets of teeth.
To cut food into half of its original size, those who wear denture completely require seven times more chewing strokes than those with natural teeth.
The bite force also decreases, leading to difficulty in chewing hard foods.
“This disability could substantially influence the desire to bite, to chew and to swallow and could lead to a modification of food choices [33, 34]. As a result, research has consistently demonstrated that tooth loss and dental status have a negative impact on diet and food selection,” according to a study published in the International Journal of Dentistry.
The study was conducted by the Département de Dentisterie et de Restauration, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université de Montréal; Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, Ribeirão Preto Dental School, University of São Paulo, Brazil; Oral Health and Society Research Unit, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University; and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University.
According to the research, several studies show that tooth loss can affect general health in several ways, starting with lower intake of fruits and vegetables, fiber and carotene and increased cholesterol and saturated fats, in addition to a higher prevalence of obesity.
Edentulism can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal disorders.
It can increase rates of chronic inflammatory changes of the gastric mucosa, upper gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancer, and higher rates of peptic or duodenal ulcers.
It can increase the risk of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and increased the potential for abnormal heart beats, hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and aortic valve sclerosis.
One study also demonstrates a possible association between complete edentulism and an increased risk of coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, sleep-disordered breathing, including obstructive sleep apnea.
Overall, edentulism cab decrease daily function, physical activity and health-related quality of life.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De La Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com/WDJ