Introduction:
Demographic transition is a global phenomenon that reflects the growth of people reaching older age, due to increased life expectancy and a sharp fertility drop. Regarding longevity, it will depend on the opportunities that the health sector can provide to the individual during his/her life.

Objective:
To identify an association between tooth loss and sociodemographic variables of older people attending Community Centers.

Methods:
Analytical study with cross-sectional design, conducted in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, with data collection from February to April 2019, developed by three duly trained researchers. The participants were interviewed through structured scripts, previously used in other studies in Brazil, addressing sociodemographic aspects and oral health related factors, the final sample consisted of 402 participants. Descriptive analysis of the data was performed and organized in frequency tables with number and percentage for each of the items of the research instrument. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate possible associations. A 5% significance level was adopted.

Results:
The study showed a high prevalence of tooth loss in the older population. A 54% of the participants lost 11 or more teeth, the vast majority (95.8%) of them had lost at least one dental element. The molar was the most extracted tooth (94.8%), and caries disease was themain cause of tooth loss (69.9%). The factors associated with tooth loss were: gender (p=0.024), age group (p=0.000), schooling (p=0.000), and socioeconomic status (p=0.000).

Conclusions:
We identified that women, older than 70 years, with up to 10 years of schooling, belonging to classes C/D – E were more affected by tooth loss, evidencing sociodemographic characteristics as determinants of the health-disease process and portray health inequities in the country, since the disadvantaged are the most affected.