Incidence of edentulousness, reasons for full clearance, and health status of teeth before extractions in rural Finland.

Incidence of edentulousness, reasons for full clearance, and clinical status before extractions were studied in a longitudinal setting in 47 rural communities in Finland. The annual incidence of total loss of teeth was 50/100,000 inhabitants and loss of maxillary teeth 20/100,000 inhabitants. The rates were about twice as high for men as for women. Of the teeth to be extracted, 70% were roots or decayed, 20% were affected by severe periodontal disease and 10% were extracted for prosthetic reasons without caries or periodontal disease. The incidence rates indicate that the number of dentulous subjects in Finland is growing very rapidly.