title: Oral health problems and needs in nursing home residents in Northern Italy.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Dental Diseases of Veneto Region, Cittadella Hospital, Cittadella, Padova, Italy. robferro@ulss15.pd.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Besostri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Strohmenger
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mazzucchelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paoletti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Senna
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stellini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazzoleni
mesh_terms: 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