Factors Influencing Permanent Tooth Extractions
Summary
Permanent tooth extraction is the end point of a spectrum of oral health challenges and clinical decisions. Dental caries and periodontal disease remain the leading pathological drivers, reflecting chronic biofilm activity and inflammatory degradation of dental hard and supporting tissues. Age and sex exert distinct influences: extractions become more frequent with advancing age, and male patients often present with higher extraction rates in certain cohorts. Sociodemographic factors—such as socioeconomic status, access to public versus private provision and cultural attitudes towards dental care—shape both disease burden and treatment pathways. Clinical parameters including tooth vitality, remaining root structure and anatomical positioning further determine whether a tooth can be preserved or must be removed. Technological advances in imaging and risk assessment have refined prognostic models, yet patient-centred factors, including treatment preferences, dental anxiety and financial constraints, also impact the decision to extract. Recognising this multifactorial landscape underpins preventative strategies, optimised maintenance protocols and guidelines for judicious extraction, all of which have global relevance for reducing the personal and public health burdens associated with tooth loss.
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Factors Influencing Permanent Tooth Extractions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in factors influencing permanent tooth extractions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Caries: Demineralisation and decay of dental enamel and dentine caused by acidogenic bacteria.
Periodontitis: Chronic inflammatory disease causing loss of connective tissue and bone supporting the teeth.
Periapical disease: Infection and inflammation at the apex of a tooth root, often secondary to pulp necrosis.
Extraction code (EBA-code): A procedural classification system used to record method and degree of difficulty of tooth extraction.
References
- Reasons for Tooth Removal in Adults: A Systematic Review. International Dental Journal (2021).
- Reasons for Permanent Teeth Extractions and Related Factors among Adult Patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The Scientific World JOURNAL (2021).
- Level of difficulty of tooth extractions among roughly 100,000 procedures in primary care. Clinical Oral Investigations (2023).
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