CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PATTERN OF PARTIAL EDENTULOUSNESS IN ADULT PATIENTS BY MEANS OF THE KENNEDY CLASSIFICATION

Partial edentulism represents a chronic and irreversible condition that affects oral function and quality of life.Its classification by means of the Kennedy system allows a better planning in prosthetic rehabilitation.Objective.To characterize the pattern of partial edentulism in adult patients seen at the Imaging Service of the Faculty of Dentistry of a Chilean university.Methodology.Observational and cross-sectional study.A total of 646 digital periapical radiographs of patients between 20 and 90 years of age were analyzed.Radiographic inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and partial edentulism was classified according to the Kennedy system (Classes I-IV).Each arch was evaluated separately.Sociodemographic and clinical variables were recorded.Statistical analysis was performed in STATA v19.0 with Chi tests (p<0.05).Results.The sample was mostly female (66.3%) with mean age of 54.1 years (SD: 13.1).Kennedy Class III was the most prevalent in both arches (55.3% in maxilla and 47.5% in mandible), followed by Class II.Class I was more prevalent in the mandible.No significant differences by sex were observed.However, the distribution by age group showed a trend: Class III predominated in young people, while Classes I and II increased with age.Differences by age were statistically significant (p<0.001).Conclusion.The most common pattern of partial edentulism was Class III, especially in adults between 40 and 64 years of age.With advancing age, the complexity of edentulousness increases.These results can guide preventive and rehabilitation strategies based on age and clinical condition.