title: Influence of the Ethnic Affiliation, Level of Education and Place of Living on Oral Health at Geriatric Population with Total and Partial Dentures in Republic of Macedonia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health is the main component of the quality of life, while oral health is component of the general health. The socio-demographic characteristics are one of the important factors for perception of the oral health and the quality of life. The main purpose of this study was to perform an evaluation of the quality of life of geriatric patients (older than 65) with built-in oral prosthetic dentures depending on the ethnic affiliation, level of education and place of living, as socio-demographic characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey was a prospective transversal (cross-sectional) study conducted among 165 institutionally sheltered patients at the Gerontology Institute (inspected group - IG) and 170 patients from the dental specialist clinics (control group CG) at the age of 65 and older. The statistical program SPSS for Windows ver. 13.0 was used for statistical processing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with upper and lower total dentures dominated (43.6% vs. 26.5%). The highest GOHAI score had the other ethnicities of IC (32.08) and Roma of IG (31.00), while the lowest was in the Albanians of CG (25.91). The highest value of 30.15 had the IG of patients living in urban areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of life and oral health of the geriatric patients are at unsatisfactory level, with significant influence of the place of living and insignificant influence of the ethnic affiliation and level of education.
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stavreva
authors.forename: Ljuben
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guguvcevchi
authors.forename: Biljana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kapusevska
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016321:Dental Care for Aged; D003824:Denture, Complete; D003829:Denture, Partial; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D009909:Oral Health; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018843:Republic of North Macedonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health