title: Oral health status and oral treatment needs of dependent elderly people in Christchurch.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the general health, oral health status, and treatment needs of dependent older people living in Christchurch rest homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  210 Grade 3 residents from seven randomly selected care facilities were examined for: dental/denture status, caries, periodontal disease, and oral cleanliness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age ranged from 65 to 103 with an average age of 84.6 years. The female-to-male ratio was 3:1. Thirty-two percent of residents were dentate (average 14 teeth). This figure was up from 16-19% one decade ago (p<0.01; chi-squared test). Sixty-five percent of dentate residents had caries. Each dentate person had an average of 2.38 teeth with carious lesions in the root or crown. 51.5% of residents required restorative treatment and 38.2% required an extraction. Twenty residents had at least one 'carious stump'. Eighty-two percent of residents required scaling of the teeth. Two thirds had no natural teeth, and one third of those with dentures required treatment. Eighty-nine residents (42%) were unable to communicate about past dental behaviours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that (compared to one decade ago) more dependent elderly people are retaining their natural teeth--but they are keeping no more teeth, and the health of the teeth has not improved. Most elderly people do not regularly receive dental assessments or care.
authors.affiliation: Oral Health Centre, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. gordon.carter@cdhb.govt.nz
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: McKelvey
authors.forename: Angelos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sourial
authors.forename: Rev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Halliwell
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Livingston
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004245:DMF Index; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D005850:Geriatric Dentistry; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009909:Oral Health / Q000592:standards*; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000592:standards; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy