title: Evaluation of oral health status of retirement-age population in Latvia.
abstract: INTRODUCTION. Latvian government Health care financing regulations do not envisage free dental care in nursing homes. Consequently, in this situation arises need to carry out comparative evaluation of oral health status and quantity indicators of dental prosthodontics among retirement-age population in Latvia. The aim of the study was to estimate oral health and dental prosthodontics indicators among retirement-age population in Latvia. PATIENTS AND METHODS. We examinated 465 retirement-age inhabitants in Latvia. We assessed dental status, quantity and quality of the existing complete dental prostheses. We also evaluated the DMF-T index. RESULTS. Oral health indicators among Latvian retirement-age population are better than those for nursing homes residents in the same age group. Complete dental prostheses used by nursing homes residents do not meet denture's quality criteria. Retirement-age patients have oral hygiene problems. CONCLUSIONS. DMF-T index among Latvian retirement-age population is lower than among residents of nursing homes. The major component of DMF-T index is the number of lost teeth. The assessment of dental prostheses among residents of nursing homes showed unsatisfactory results. Retirement-age population in Latvia needs treatment of oral mucosal diseases, improvement of oral hygienic measures and increase of amount of dental prosthodontics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Riga, Latvia.
authors.forename: Aldis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidzis
authors.forename: Ingrida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cema
authors.forename: Ingrida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Krasta
authors.forename: Anda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brinkmane
authors.forename: Imants
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kalnins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003824:Denture, Complete / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007844:Latvia / 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 / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology*