title: Edentulism and dental caries in Victorian nursing homes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this project was to investigate edentulism and dental caries in nursing home residents in Victoria, Australia.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The Australian population is ageing with a growing number of people living in nursing homes. These residents are at increased risk for dental caries, have more teeth present now than at any time in the past 50 years and often have difficulty maintaining adequate oral hygiene.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical dental examinations were conducted at 31 nursing homes in Melbourne and regional Victoria between May 2005 and June 2006. A total of 510 residents were examined out of 1345 eligible participants. Socio-demographic and medical history was collected via questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Just over half of the residents were dentate (53.9%), and dentate residents had a mean of 14.4 teeth present and 2.66 untreated decayed teeth. Residents who required total assistance with oral hygiene had more decayed teeth and fewer filled teeth than residents who did not require assistance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nursing home residents in Victoria are retaining an increasing number of natural teeth and have more tooth surfaces at risk for dental caries. Untreated dental caries was a significant problem for residents, particularly for those who are dependent on others for their daily oral hygiene care.
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Sciences, School of Dental Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. m.hopcraft@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hopcraft
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Julie G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Satur
authors.forename: F A Clive
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004245:DMF Index; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003817:Dentition; D003778:Dentures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology