Edentulism

Edentulism (or edentulousness) means absence of the dentition and can have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life, in addition to the cosmetic effects.

Terminology

When edentulism is used as a standalone term it usually means that all the teeth are absent, i.e. complete edentulism. However sometimes it is used for partial loss of teeth, when it is known as partial edentulism. The adjectival form is edentulous, e.g. an edentulous mandible.

Epidemiology

As many as 30% of Americans aremaybe edentulous¹. 

A lackLacking all teeth can have a marked deleterious effect on an individual's wellbeing:

• cosmetic
• dietary deficiencies
  • secondary to dysfunctional mastication, loss of taste
• altered phonation
• psychological effects
  • loss of self confidence due to one or more of the above

Pathology

Severe periodontal disease, caries, and pain may all lead to loss of the teeth, via pathological loss and/or planned extractions.

Loss of teeth has more thanleads to a cosmetic impact on a person because self-esteem, dietary intake, speech, and overall qualityloss of life are affected [28, 29].

With edentulism and in combination with osteoporosis, there is lack of masticatory stressnormal mechanical stresses on the maxillary and mandibular alveolar ridgesprocesses which gradually resorb. This may be exacerbated by osteopenia/osteoporosis.  

Radiographic features

Other than the obvious lack of visible dentition, resulting in bone absorptionthe most striking finding is the gradual loss of the normal morphology of the maxilla and thinning. Decreased alveolar heightmandible, due to the resorption and reduced mineralization preclude adequate implant placementattenuation of each alveolus secondary to loss of the normal stresses exerted by chewing.

Treatment and the complication rate [28] (Fig. 12Aprognosis

Dentures (false teeth). Bone augmentation procedures exist, such as are the sinus lift procedure, whereby an osteotomy flap along the maxillary sinus floor is packed with bone graft material to increase the maxillary alveolar height (Fig. 12B). Another potential augmentation is bone grafting in which the donor portion, usually derived from the iliac crest, is grafted onto the mandible [3]main treatment for edentulism.