Edentulism

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.