Prosthetic Status of Partially Edentulous Congolese Adults and Causes of Non-Prosthetic Rehabilitation

Context: Prosthetic treatments for partial edentulism aim to restore or improve oral functions such as mastication, phonation and aesthetics.They have an impact on nutritional status, general health and quality of life.Objectives: To determine the frequency and determinants of wearing dental prostheses in partial edentulous Congolese adults as well as the reasons of prosthetic non-rehabilitation.Methods: Partial edentulous patients attending five medical-dental centers in Kinshasa were included in this cross-sectional study.Each patient completed a questionnaire and underwent a clinical examination.Chi-square test was used for searching associations between variables and logistic regression for determinants.The significance level was 0.05.Results: Three hundred partial edentulous patients with an average age of 40.3 ± 15.9 years participated in this study.11% (CI: 7.5% and 14.5%) of partial edentulous Congolese adults wore a dental prosthesis.Age was the independent determinant of denture wearing.Young adults (under 30) were 5 times more likely to not wear dentures than older people.The absence of discomfort was the major reason for not prosthetic rehabilitation (32%) followed by finances (30%).Conclusion: Very few partially edentulous Congolese adults were prosthetics wearer.Age was the only determinant.