Objectives: The aim of this study is to develop a risk model for missing teeth within a cross-sectional study, and to identify possible high risk groups concerning tooth loss. Methods: The associations between sociodemographic, dental, medical, behavioural data, and missing teeth were evaluated among 2,498 subjects aged 25 to 59 years of the population-based, cross-sectional Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-0) by logistic regression analyses. The case group was defined as 15 % of subjects with the highest number of missing teeth of each 5-year-age group. Results: Low educational level (OR= 1.7), household income (continuous), to be unemployed (OR= 1.5), dose-dependend current (OR= 2.1- 4.1) and former smoking (OR= 1.9 -2.3), diabetes mellitus (OR= 1.9), multiple sclerosis (OR=14.6), poor general state of health (continuous), and poor oral health behaviour (OR=1.6) were significant risk indicators for missing teeth. Alcohol consumption (OR= 0.6), to be physical active (OR= 0.7), and allergies (OR= 0.7) were protective. Significant interactions were observed between marital status and gender as well as between household income, school education and gender. Thus, a high risk group was found: women with low educational level and low income. Conclusions: The increasing number of missing teeth with age is considered in this statistical model by defining the unusual tooth loss (upper 15%) per age group as cases. The detection of both gender differences and the high risk group was only possible due to modelling of interactions within a psychsocial model. The results emphasize the importance of sociodemographic and behavioural conditions concerning oral health.

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