title: An oral health survey of vulnerable older people in Belgium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to gain insight in the oral health of persons aged 65 years or more.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from 652 vulnerable older persons (≥65) by means of a clinical oral examination. Additional demographic data were gathered including age, gender, residence, and care dependency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the total study sample was 83 (7.7) years and 71 % was female. Nearly 33 % of the sample was living at home with support, and 67 % was residing in nursing homes. The number of occluding pairs was low and the proportion of edentulous people was highest among persons with the highest care dependency. The mean Decay-missing-filled teeth index (DMFT) was 20.3 (9.0). A prosthetic treatment need and inadequate oral hygiene levels were observed in 40 % and more than 60 % of the subjects, respectively. The highest treatment need was observed in the oldest age group and the highest mean dental plaque in older persons with the highest care dependency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The oral health in frail older people in Belgium is poor. The restorative and prosthetic treatment need is high and oral hygiene levels are problematic. Age, residence, and care dependency seemed to have some influence on oral health parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the long term, the most important future challenge of oral health care policies is to identify older adults before they begin to manifest such oral health deterioration. Regular dental visits should be strongly promoted by all (oral) health care workers during the lifespan of all persons including older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, Dental School, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. Luc.DeVisschere@UGent.be.|BENECOMO, Flemish-Dutch Geriatric Oral Health Research Group, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. Luc.DeVisschere@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Visschere
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, Dental School, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.|BENECOMO, Flemish-Dutch Geriatric Oral Health Research Group, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Janssens
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, Dental School, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Griet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Reu
authors.affiliation: BENECOMO, Flemish-Dutch Geriatric Oral Health Research Group, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Oral Health Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duyck
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, Dental School, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.|BENECOMO, Flemish-Dutch Geriatric Oral Health Research Group, Ghent University, 185, De Pintelaan, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanobbergen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: Epidemiological study; Oral health; Treatment need; Vulnerable elderly