Abstract
In 1991, a questionnaire survey was carried out by mail on 2, 020 persons aged 65 years and older who were randomly selected from the registry of residents in the City of Kitakyushu. 1, 586 persons (79%) returned the questionnaire and the sample size comprised 1.2% of the total number of persons aged 65 years and older (129, 978) in the City. Thirty-six percent of subjects wanted to visit a dentist and 71% had dental complaints. However, only 14% were actually receiving dental care. Denture treatment was the most frequent reason (74%) for going to dentists in the 215 persons receiving care. Of the 1, 234 persons who had dentures, 474 (41%) felt discomfort while wearing dentures. Many persons who might need dental care did not visit dentists because they were not experiencing pain or had few functional disorders. On the other hand, 19% of persons who did not visit dentists stated economic, physical, or transportation problems. These results suggest that close communication between dentists and patients, providing appropriate information on oral health at the community level, and dental care delivery services are necessary for elderly people.
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