Prosthodontic Needs Assessment Among Edentulous Adults in Rural Communities of Benue State

Complete edentulism carries significant functional, nutritional, and psychological consequences and often necessitates prosthetic rehabilitation to restore quality of life. In rural Nigeria, prosthetic needs remain largely unmet due to limited access to dental services, financial constraints, and low health literacy. This cross-sectional descriptive study conducts a prosthodontic needs assessment among edentulous adults in three rural local government areas of Benue State, North Central geopolitical zone. Using the WHO Oral Health Survey methodology, a trained dental team examined 280 adults aged 40 years and above, recording edentulism status, prosthetic experience, treatment need, and willingness to receive prosthetic care. A structured questionnaire captured information on perceived functional limitation, diet modification, and psychological impact. Results reveal a high prevalence of untreated edentulism, with only 14.3% of edentulous participants currently wearing any form of dental prosthesis. The primary reasons for non-utilization of prosthetic services included cost, lack of awareness of available services, and distance to the nearest dental facility. Diet modification and social withdrawal due to tooth loss were commonly reported. The study underscores the significant unmet prosthodontic burden in rural Benue communities and recommends government-subsidized dental outreach programs, integration of basic oral rehabilitation services into primary care settings, and public education on the functional importance of dental prostheses. Keywords: edentulism, prosthodontic needs, rural communities, Benue State, oral rehabilitation.