title: Oral health status of long-term care residents-a vulnerable population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conduct an observational, cross-sectional survey of the oral health status of adults ≥ 45 years of age in rural and urban long-term care (LTC) facilities in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Residents capable of informed consent were recruited by LTC staff in a stratified random sample of LTC facilities. Calibrated personnel administered standard clinical and quality-of-life instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 335 adults (74% female) surveyed (mean age 80.8 ± 11.6 years), only 25% reported having regular dental care. Although 76% described their oral health as good or excellent, 41% were edentulous, 41% had some mucosal abnormality, 36% reported xerostomia and 25% had perceived or self-reported untreated dental conditions. Most mandibular dentures were nonretentive (59%) and almost half were unstable (49%). Among the dentate, 51% had untreated coronal caries, 44% had untreated root caries and 67% had attachment loss of ≥ 4 mm at ≥ 1 site. Predictors of coronal decay were a debris score ≥ 2 (adjusted odds ratio [adj OR] = 2.12; p = 0.045) or a history of smoking (adj OR = 1.02 per year of smoking; p = 0.024). Predictors of root caries were participants' perceiving a need for dental treatment (adj OR = 2.56; p = 0.015) or a history of smoking (adj OR = 1.02 per year of smoking; p = 0.026).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This epidemiologic study of the oral health of LTC residents revealed a high prevalence of untreated oral disease and low use of oral care services, highlighting the need for better access to oral care for this population.
authors.affiliation: Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. dmatthew@dal.ca
authors.forename: Debora C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Joanne B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Clovis
authors.forename: Martha G S
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Brillant
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Filiaggi
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McNally
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kotzer
authors.forename: Herenia P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lawrence
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009674:Nova Scotia / Q000453:epidemiology; D009909:Oral Health; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035862:Vulnerable Populations