Dentition and Prosthetic Status with Treatment Needs of Adult Patients Attending in the Prosthodontic Outpatient Department of a Private Dental College Hospital, Dhaka

Abstract
Background:  Loss of teeth due to untreated dental caries is a major public health issue. Therefore, this has escalated the need for prosthetic rehabilitation.  Studies on the association of sociodemographic factors with dentition status, prosthetic status and treatment needs among South Asian adults is limited. The aim of the study was to assess dentition status, prosthetic status and treatment needs in the adults attending the prosthodontics department of  a private dental college hospital ,Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 241 adults who visited the Prosthodontics outpatient department of a private dental college hospital in Dhaka from January 2024 to March 2025 through consecutive sampling techniques. The Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index criteria of World Health Organization was used to assess dentition status. Record separately the prosthetic status and prosthetic treatment needs of the maxillary and mandibular arches. Sociodemographic information was collected using a questionnaire. The research employed SPSS version 27 for statistical analysis application of descriptive statistics, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests and Spearman’s rank correlation (p < 0.05).
Results: Findings showed that the average age was 37.0 years (SD 7.1) and 53.5% of all participants were females. According to the findings, 85.5% of participants show presence of dental caries. 52.7% of participants had missing teeth due to caries. 45.6% of participants had teeth which were filled. Mean score of DMFT was 4.24 ± 3.15. Associated with sex (p=0.010), missing teeth were significant. Similarly, filled teeth were more in males (p=0.041). Tooth decay correlated negatively with age (rho = -0.171, p = 0.008). In contrast, filled teeth (rho = 0.218, p = 0.001) as well as total DMFT score (rho = 0.138, p = 0.032) were positively correlated with age. The majority of participates did not have any prosthesis in the maxilla (60.6%) & mandible (63.1%); existing prosthesis were fixed bridges. The findings revealed that age, sex, and income had a significant association with prosthetic condition and treatment need (p < 0.001). The need for crown restoration was the most common among participants at 76.3 percent while one surface filling was 17.4 percent. The other treatments required were pulp care and restoration at 15.8 percent, and extraction at 13.3 percent.
Conclusions: High dental disease burden with unmet restorative and prosthodontic treatment needs at a dental OPD prosthodontics Dhaka in adults. Prosthetic status and treatment needs were highly influenced by sociodemographic factors. To reduce oral health inequities in similar urban South Asian populations, there is a need to strengthen preventive care, support early intervention and ensure equitable access to comprehensive prosthodontic services.

Bangladesh Journal of Dental Research & Education 

official publication of Bangladesh Academy of Dentistry International (BADI)®