December 2015

Objective: To examine the disutility of tooth loss. It compared how people value their teeth in two countries which are culturally similar in order to explore the effect of culture on self-perceptions of oral health. Basic research design: Cross sectional study. Participants: Participants were recruited from subjects attending two hospitals in Turkey and in Iran. Interventions: Nineteen descriptions of mouths with varying degrees and types of tooth loss were presented to the participants. They were shown mouth models of partially edentate dentitions and the teeth missing were explained in relation to the participants own mouth. The participants were specifically asked to consider the role their teeth played in function (chewing), communication (speech) and aesthetics (looks) along with “all the other things that make your mouth important” Main outcome measures: The participants were asked to indicate on a visual analogue scale how they would value the health of their mouth if they lost the tooth/teeth described and the resultant space was left unrestored.