Tooth Mortality in Two US Populations Living a Century Apart

Purpose: To determine the frequency of tooth loss of individuals who lived during the nineteenth century and compare it to the current prevalence of tooth loss of an adult population in the US. Materials and Methods: A group of 177 full maxillary and mandibular casts from patients with restorative needs currently assisted at the University of Pittsburgh and a collection of 52 adult skulls that belongs to the University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine were examined. The human skulls were likely from individuals of lower socioeconomic status and were expected to have more tooth loss than individuals living today who can benefit from modern dentistry. Teeth that were either missing or required extraction were identified in both groups and non-parametric statistical analysis was performed.