ArticleCommunity dentistry and oral epidemiology2026
Do Temporal Changes in Complete Tooth Loss Point to Cohort Effects?
Article in Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesComplete tooth loss is more common among older adults; however, its prevalence has declined significantly over time. It is currently unknown whether age and period effects act independently or whether they interact to produce differential effects by birth cohorts. This study aimed to examine temporal changes in the prevalence of complete tooth loss in Australia, examine the effects of age, period and cohort and assess life course changes within birth cohorts.
methodsThe study used data from three repeated cross-sectional waves of Australia's National Dental Telephone Interview Survey (2005, 2013 and 2021), each comprising independent samples. The prevalence of edentulism among adults aged 41 years and older was described. The independent effects of age and period and examined cohort effects were estimated using an Age-Period-Cohort Interaction (APC-I) model.
resultsThe prevalence of complete tooth loss among adults aged 41 years and older declined from 12% in 2005 to 6% in 2021. The analysis shows that while edentulism increased with age, it decreased significantly over time across most age groups. Despite the low prevalence of edentulism, younger generations showed higher-than-expected levels of complete tooth loss. Significant cohort effects were observed, with older cohorts showing high tooth loss and younger cohorts exhibiting concerning trends.
conclusionDespite overall progress in reducing edentulism, the increase in complete tooth loss among younger generations poses a threat to long-term oral health outcomes in Australia. Ongoing surveillance and targeted public health interventions are critical in preventing a resurgence in tooth loss, particularly among younger populations. Comprehensive oral health programs and equitable access to care are essential to maintaining Australia's progress in oral health and in addressing emerging challenges.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.