A 5-year follow-up study on the prosthetic rehabilitation of the elderly in Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

In 1990, 364 elderly (76-86 years) inhabitants of Helsinki, Finland, attended a dental and oral examination study that was conducted as part of the Helsinki Aging Study. In spring 1996, these subjects were recalled for a 5-year follow-up. Between the baseline and follow-up examinations, 114 (31%) subjects had deceased (86 women and 28 men), whereas 134 had either moved, were too ill, or refused to participate in the follow-up. Follow-up examination was conducted for 113 subjects (79 women and 34 men), with the participating rate being 46%. Five subjects became edentulous during the follow-up. Of the subjects, 61% had 1-32 teeth at follow-up. In these subjects, the mean number of teeth decreased from 14.9 (+/-8.3) to 13.5 (+/-8.6) (P < 0.0001). Prosthetic status changed in 40% of the elderly dentate people: 25% received new prostheses whereas 15% lost prostheses that were not replaced. New fixed partial dentures were made in five maxillae and in nine mandibles during the follow-up. Acrylic removable partial dentures (ARPD) were most frequently used: 35% of dentate subjects had an ARPD. Subjects with removable prostheses had higher levels of salivary microbes and higher root caries incidence than those with natural teeth. Furthermore, the presence of removable prostheses at baseline, together with the male gender, was clearly associated with tooth loss during follow-up. This study indicates that fixed rather than removable prostheses should be used in elderly patients. The need for a removable denture ought to be carefully considered.