Edentulism is the condition of being
toothless to at least some degree; in organisms (such as humans) that naturally have
dentition, it is the result of
tooth loss. Loss of some teeth results in
partial edentulism, whereas loss of all teeth results in
complete edentulism. Persons who have lost teeth are (either partially or completely)
edentulous (
edentate), whereas those who have not lost teeth can be called
dentate by comparison. For example, a scientific study may include a partially edentulous group and a healthy dentate
control group.
