Dental state and needs for episodic care of institutionalized elderly in an Asian community.
This study examined the dental state of institutionalized elderly and their need for care. An oral examination was carried out on 479 elderly persons living in long-term care facilities with a mean age of 74.9 years. Results showed an overall DMF score of 27.0 and the average number of teeth in dentate subjects was 7.5. A large proportion of teeth (76.6%) was lost through dental caries and the loss increased significantly with age. Consequently, 56.1% of subjects were edentulous, of whom 78.8% were without dentures. Among the conditions that required urgent dental care, majority of subjects needed extractions of residual roots and loose teeth. A lesser proportion required treatment for gross caries (4.8%), periodontal disease (5.0%), suspected tumor (0.2%), as well as alleviation of pain and infection arising from mucosal lesions (4.8%), abscesses (3.3%) and TMJ problems (2.8%). The treatment needs for dentures and episodic care are high among institutionalized elderly and need to be addressed.
Soh
G
G
Department of Preventive Dentistry, National University of Singapore, National University Hospital.
Chong
Y H
YH
Ong
G
G
D000368:Aged; D004245:DMF Index; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000592:standards*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009909:Oral Health; D012846:Singapore