title: The distribution of root caries in community-dwelling elders in New England.
abstract: An in-home examination of a probability sample of elders aged 70 and older living in the six New England states was conducted to estimate the prevalence and extent of root caries. Oral examinations were conducted by the visual-tactile method using a portable lamp, explorer, and a mouth mirror. Fifty-two percent of the study participants showed root caries experience and 22 percent had untreated root caries. In contrast to previous studies, this analysis showed that buccal root surfaces were no more likely than proximal surfaces to be affected by root caries. Logistic regression analysis showed that gingival recession and number of teeth were positively associated with root caries, while better oral hygiene maintenance and regular dental visits were negatively associated with root caries lesions (all factors: P < .05). The prevalence of root caries was found to increase with higher numbers of teeth except for a minority subgroup--i.e., those who retained 25 or more teeth. This study provides much-needed data on prevalence and extent of root caries in a probability sample of the oldest old in an entire region of the United States.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Department of Dental Care Administration, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Douglass
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jette
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000453:epidemiology; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D015588:Observer Variation; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017213:Root Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology