Abstract
Background: Little is known about the current oral health status of adults in Ireland. The aim of this study was to assess the dental health of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland and to compare the current status to previous national surveys. Methods: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) Wave 3 assessed the dental health of a subset of participants. Respondents attending for health assessments were offered a dental examination. The World Health Organization examination criteria were used. Results: Of the 3111 people who were offered the dental assessment, 2525 were examined. Adults below 50 years of age and respondents whose dental health data were unavailable at the time of analysis were omitted, giving a final sample of 2504. Among the dental assessment sample, 9.9% (249) were edentate. Of those aged 65 years and older, 15.6% were edentate while for the same age group 40.9% were edentate in the 2000-02 national survey. The mean number of teeth present in those aged 65 years or older was 14.9 for males and 14.2 for females, whereas in 2000-02 it was 9.9 and 7.4, respectively. 56.8% of the dentate sample had 10 or more tooth contacts. The mean DMFT of those aged 50 years or more was 18.5 and the Root Caries Index was 6.3. Between 2000-02 and 2014-5 (this study) in adults aged 65 years and over, the mean DMFT decreased from 25.9 to 20.1 and the Root Caries Index decreased from 11.6 to 9.1. Conclusion: The results indicate the dental health of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland improved since the previous survey of 2000-02. These improvements mean a change in the treatment needs of this age group and will require policy and service adjustments to meet these needs.
Highlights
The ageing population is one of the great challenges that will confront health services in developed countries in coming years
Dental health assessment sample selection The study sample was a sub-sample of the respondents who attended a The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) health centre assessment at Wave 3
A total of 4309 respondents attended for the health assessment, of whom an opportunistic sample of 3111 (72.2%) were invited to have the dental assessment, and of these 2525 (81.1%) agreed to the assessment
Summary
The ageing population is one of the great challenges that will confront health services in developed countries in coming years. Loss of physical and cognitive function, along with increasing frailty, often result in less attention to oral self-care, while ill health or frailty may lead to reduced access to the professional care that is needed to maintain oral function. The aim of this study was to assess the dental health of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland and to compare the current status to previous national surveys. Adults below 50 years of age and respondents whose dental health data were unavailable at the time of analysis were omitted, giving a final sample of 2504. Conclusion: The results indicate the dental health of communitydwelling adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland improved since the version 3
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