Original scientific paper
Anthropologic-Prosthetic Aspect of Edentia and Supply with Mobile Prostheses in Some Island Populations of the East Mediterranean
Josip Perinić
; Institut za antropologiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Vjekoslav Jerolimov
; School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Within the scope o f holistic anthropologic-prosthetic studies performed in the populations o f the islands o f Brač, Silba and Olib, dental status characteristics were analyzed according to the relative frequency o f the loss o f permanent teeth and supply with mobile prostheses. Changes in the number o f health, carious, extracted and teeth with fillings with aging were most pronounced in the increased
number o f extracted and decreased number o f healthy teeth.
In both sexes, the loss o f teeth began with first permanent molars, followed by premolars and wisdom teeth. The rate o f the loss o f incisors and canines was greater in females for both jaws. In the study populations, the frequency o f mobile prostheses increased with aging, but was lower than expected from the number o f extracted teeth. No significant interpopulation differences in the supply with prostheses were recorded, in spite o f the fact that the island o f Brač has a well organized dental service, whereas the islands o f Silba and Olib are at about a 5-hour ship distance from the nearest prosthetic clinic. A relatively good prosthetic supply in the latter populations were accounted for by migration o f these islanders to large land cities, where they have their prosthetic needs amended, then returning to the islands at an old age, with their dental state generally settled.
Keywords
East Mediterranean islands; edentia; supply; mobile prostheses
Hrčak ID:
99314
URI
Publication date:
15.6.1994.
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