Introduction: Partial edentulism is a prime indicator of overall oral health in a given country. Khat chewing habit in the south region of Saudi Arabia is widely practiced by a majority of the population.
Aim: To determine the frequency of Kennedy's classes in each arch among different age groups, gender and to find out the relationship between khat chewing and the pattern of partial edentulism.
Materials and methods: The data was collected from 780 subjects reporting to the College of Dentistry, Jazan University, who required removable partial dentures. Clinical intra-oral and radiographic examinations were done. The study subjects were divided into five age groups, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and ≥ 60 years respectively. Khat chewing hours/day and type of Kennedy's classes were recorded. The data were entered into a Statistical Package for Social Sciences program and analysed accordingly using Fisher-Exact test.
Results: Class III was the highest in all middle age groups followed by Class I. Class III was the highest in males, while in females, Class I was the highest in both arches. Class IV was the lowest in all age groups, both arches, and genders. Among khat chewers Class III was the highest followed by class I in both arches. Class IV was the highest in >12 hours duration in maxilla but in the mandible, Class I and II were the highest in 1-6 hours duration. The obtained p-values were statistically significant (p<0.001) in all tested variables and age groups.
Conclusion: Kennedy's Class III was the highest followed by Class I, while Kennedy's Class IV was the lowest in all age groups and both arches regardless of khat chewing durations. In males Class III, was the highest, while in females Class I was the highest in both arches.
Keywords: Age; Catha edulis chewing; Dental arch; Gender; Kennedy classification; Saudi Arabia.