Edentulism and denture use.

In 2003, 9% of Canadians aged 15 or older reported that they had no natural teeth; that is, they were edentate. This estimate is based on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). A comparison of estimates from the CCHS and the 1990 Health Promotion Survey reveals a decline in the prevalence of complete tooth loss. In 1990, 16% of the population was edentate. The largest decline in edentulism occurred in the older population. Close to half of individuals aged 65 or older (48%) were edentate in 1990; in 2003, the proportion was 30%. This reduction is not surprising given the fairly widespread fluoridation of water and improved access to dental care.1 Other contributing factors include growth of disposable income, improvements in dentist-to-population ratios and expansion of dental insurance coverage.2-4