Oral health problems and needs in nursing home residents in Northern Italy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the oral health status and treatment needs of a sample of elderly people residing in nursing homes in Northern Italy.


METHODS
a sample of 595 elderly residents (mean age 83.2+/-9.2 yrs), with adequate cognitive skills were examined by six calibrated dentists.


RESULTS
The sample (82% women) was divided into two groups: edentulous (43%) and dentate. In the edentulous group 58% wore dentures in both jaws, 8% in only one jaw and 34% had no dentures. The main problems were dirty or loose dentures and poor oral hygiene. In the dentate group the mean number of teeth was 8.4+/-7.4, 53% wore dentures (removable, fixed or a combination). Poor oral hygiene was found in 86%, root caries in 51% and coronal caries in 46%. Their main needs were professional cleaning (72%), oral hygiene instructions (62%) and tooth/root extractions (56%). While normative needs were noted for 82% of the whole sample, oral treatment needs were accurately perceived by only 20% of residents, poorly by 24%, while 46% indicated that they had no oral treatment needs.
Ferro
R
R
Regional Centre for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Dental Diseases of Veneto Region, Cittadella Hospital, Cittadella, Padova, Italy. robferro@ulss15.pd.it
Besostri
A
A
Strohmenger
L
L
Mazzucchelli
L
L
Paoletti
G
G
Senna
A
A
Stellini
E
E
Mazzoleni
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003780:Denture Repair; D003778:Dentures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D012647:Self-Assessment; D014081:Tooth Extraction