Treating partial edentulousness forms a major share of prosthodontic clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to find out the frequency of partial edentulism, its arch distribution status, awareness to restore, and the ratio of removable to fixed prosthesis among a student sample aged 18-25 years. The methodology selected was a questionnaire survey followed by clinical examination of the student community from Tirur taluk, Malappuram district, Kerala. The results showed that the frequency of partial edentulism among the surveyed group was significant with predominance in maxillary posterior edentulousness in men and mandibular posterior edentulousness in women. Though there was not any significant gender difference in the partial edentulism, women were more aware than men to restore it. All restored cases were with fixed bridges and no anterior edentulousness was found. The study also revealed a lack of awareness and need to educate the population.
Keywords: Arch distribution; Awareness; Cluster sampling; Descriptive study; Partial edentulism.