Elderly Canadians residing in long-term care hospitals: Part I. Medical and dental status.
BACKGROUND
Oral diseases and conditions have been identified as a significant problem for elderly residents of long-term care (LTC) hospitals in developed countries, yet little recent information is available for the Canadian population.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the medical, dietary, oral microbial, oral hygiene and dental status of elderly Canadians living in LTC hospitals in Vancouver and surrounding communities.


METHODS
A sample of 369 elderly dentate hospital residents (mean age 83.9 years, 281 women [76.2%]) were examined, and their medical status and medications, oral status and type of hospital were documented. Oral hygiene practices and diet (specifically intake of refined carbohydrates) were evaluated. Subjects with xerostomia and subjects taking medications with hyposalivary side effects were identified, and salivary Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus were cultured.


RESULTS
The mean plaque index was 1.3; men had a higher plaque index than women and residents of extended care hospitals had a higher plaque index than those in intermediate care hospitals. The mean bacterial score per millilitre of saliva was 9.7 105 colony-forming units (CFU) for Streptococcus mutans and 1.6 105 CFU for Lactobacillus. On average, each subject had 6.3 sound teeth, and 9.3 teeth had been restored.


CONCLUSIONS
Although almost half of the subjects had visited a dental office in their community within the past 5 years, the elderly hospital residents in this study had few remaining teeth and suffered from poor oral hygiene. Prevention strategies (such as diet, oral hygiene and antimicrobial agents) rather than dental interventions (such as restorations and extractions) alone may be needed to control oral diseases in this susceptible population.
Wyatt
Chris C L
CC
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. cwyatt@unixg.ubc.ca
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016321:Dental Care for Aged; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017266:Dental Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007380:Intermediate Care Facilities; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric