Oral health of homeless adults in Stockholm, Sweden.
The aim of the present study was to record and describe the oral condition of homeless adults in Stockholm, Sweden. There have been no clinical studies of the oral health of the homeless in Sweden since the 1970s. The study population comprised 147 homeless individuals (110 M, 37 F) in the age range 22-77 years. All underwent oral examination, including registration of periodontal status and caries data. The results show that homeless adults in Stockholm have fewer remaining teeth than the general population. Because conservative periodontal treatment is expensive and time-consuming, teeth with doubtful prognoses are usually extracted and only those with optimal periodontal health are retained. Another consequence of inadequate periodontal treatment, including insufficient oral hygiene instruction, is the high percentage of tooth surfaces with plaque accumulation. Heavy plaque accumulation will also have an effect on caries progression, expressed in this study as high DMFT values. Loss of teeth is likely to create dental and chewing problems, possibly resulting in increased dental and medical treatment needs.
De Palma
Patricia
P
Institute of Odontology, Department of Periodontology, Karolinska Institutet, P.O. Box 4064, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden. Patricia.de.Palma@ofa.ki.se
Frithiof
Lars
L
Persson
Lena
L
Klinge
Björn
B
Halldin
Jan
J
Beijer
Ulla
U
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004245:DMF Index; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000453:epidemiology; D017266:Dental Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D010512:Periodontal Index; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology