Factors that dentists use to decide whether or not to render a patient edentulous. Part 2. An investigation using a postal questionnaire sent to dentists in East lancashire.

Aims: To investigate the factors that dentists use to decide whether or not to make a patient edentulous.

Method: A previous qualitative investigation identified factors that dentists would consider when making a patient edentulous. Using this information, a questionnaire was created and sent to all dentists practising in East Lancashire, asking them whether these factors would make them more or less likely to extract all remaining teeth for a patient.

Results: 123 usable questionnaires were returned from 187 dentists, a response rate of 67%. Dentists felt that clinical factors such as poor periodontal health and active decay were more likely to make them extract all remaining teeth. They were also concerned about retention and were keen to retain strategic teeth. Apart from their acknowledgment of the need to comply with the patient's wish to keep his or her teeth, the dentists had a neutral opinion of other factors such as poor health or their personal attitude to treatment. On average, respondents were rendering just over three patients per year edentulous.

Conclusion: In this group of dentists, the key clinical factors that were considered when they decided whether or not to render a patient edentulous were periodontal disease, caries, and the attitude of the patient to tooth loss. Relatively few patients were rendered edentulous each year and if this pattern is common elsewhere in the United Kingdom, it may lead to a lack of skills within the dental workforce in managing patients' transition from dentate to edentulous.