Assessment of oral and general health status in older adults

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization defines people aged 65 and over as “older adults”. With the development of preventive and curative services and the decrease in fertility and mortality rates, the world population, especially in developed countries, is rapidly aging. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the oral-dental health profile and variables such as some socio-demographic characteristics and habits of oral health in older adults. Material and methods: A questionnaire was used to record socio-demographic characteristics and habits of oral health, and a special examination form was used to evaluate oral health. In total, 422 patients were divided into three groups of ages 65–74, 75–84 and 85+. The SPSS 22.0 version was used for the analysis of data. Results: If demographic information of groups are compared, gender and educational status are not statistically significant, but marital status is statistically significant. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of nutritional content and nutritional limitation. When the questions about oral health were evaluated, a statistically significant difference was found between the groups regarding the status of removable prostheses. Conclusion: Data related to the socio-demographic characteristics, oral health habits and general/oral health status constitute an important resource for dentists and health managers. However, further research is needed to improve the quality of life of the older adult population. The increase of such resources will be beneficial in many areas related to individual oral health care and public health management in older adults.