International Journal Of Dentistry And Oral Care

Introduction: 
Despite technological advances in operative dentistry, dental avulsion in the elderly remains a concern insofar as edentulism can constitute a handicap for these people, due to the deficiencies, incapacity and disadvantage it creates. In Cameroon, the causes of dental extractions in the elderly remain poorly known due to the limited number of studies on the issue. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons and immediate complications of dental avulsion in the elderly in Cameroon.
Methodology: This was a descriptive and prospective cross-sectional study, conducted over 9 months during 2020 in three health facilities in Yaounde. The recruitment of patients was consecutive and exhaustive. All consenting patients aged sixty years and over who underwent dental extraction were included. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 software. 
Results: Out of 307 elderly people who came for consultation, 133 had undergone a dental extraction, i.e. a prevalence of 43.32%. Females were predominantly represented with a frequency of 54.13% and a male/female sex ratio of 0.84. The average age was 65.53 ± 8.38 years with extremes of 60 and 101 years. Caries and its complications was the most common indication for extraction with 68.11%, followed by periodontal disease with 22.34%. Desmodontitis was the most common carious condition with 48.65%, while chronic periodontitis was the most common periodontal disease with 78.82%. Dental fractures and pain were the immediate complications encountered with 61.90% and 38.09% respectively. Edentulism is a consequence of the periodontal disease.
Conclusion: In sum, dental extraction in the elderly is frequent. Dental caries and periodontal disease are the main causes. The resulting edentulism could have a negative impact on the elderly.
Keywords: Dental Extraction; Dental caries; Elderly complications; Periodontal disease.