[The reasons of tooth extraction taking into consideration the socio economical status during changes in the public health service in the West-Pomeranian voivodeship].

INTRODUCTION There are many possibilities of diagnosing and treating, but the fact of an increasing number of patients who have resigned from expensive procedures in place of teeth extraction is still noticeable. MATERIAL AND METHODS Poll analysis based on the population of a big city--Szczecin and small towns in West Pomerania revealed that one's wealth considerably impacts both the frequency of visits in dental practices and the decisions regarding a mode of treatment. RESULTS It further occurs that the most common reason of tooth extraction is caries and its later complications. Over 25% of patients from Szczecin and nearly 20% of interrogated people in provinces had to extract teeth because of an economical reason due to the lack of money for restoring treatment. It also appeared that a majority of people feel unsatisfied with the proceeding reorganization of the national health service and have not observed any positive tendencies effecting from this process so far.