Oral health of community‐dwelling older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP)

Abstract

Background:The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP) is a cohort study of the health of a representative sample of Australian men aged 70 years and older. The aim of this report is to describe the oral health of these men. Methods: Oral health was assessed when the men were all aged 78 years or older. Two calibrated examiners conducted a standardized intraoral assessment. Descriptive data were analysed by statistical association tests. Participants were excluded from the collection of some periodontal assessments if they had a medical contraindication. Results: Dental assessments of 614 participants revealed 90 (14.6%) were edentate. Men had a mean of 13.8 missing teeth and 10.3 filled teeth. Dentate participants had a mean of 1.1 teeth with active coronal decay. Those in the lowincome group had a higher rate of decayed teeth and lower rate of filled teeth. Thirty-four participants (5.5%) had one or more dental implants, and 66.3% relied on substitute natural teeth for functional occlusion. Of those with full periodontal assessments; 90.9% had sites with pocket depths of 3 mm or more, 96.6% had sites with CAL of 5 mm or more, and 79.7% had three or more sites with GI scores of 2 or more. Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of periodontal diseases and restorative burden of dentitions, which suggests that greater attention needs to be given to prevention and health maintenance in older Australian men.

Frailty and oral health: Findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project

“…The levels of inter‐examiner reliability found for this survey were similar to benchmarks reported for The National Survey of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH) 2004‐2006 . Details of the oral health data collection and reproducibility have been previously reported …”

Chewing function, general health and the dentition of older Australian men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project

“…The most recent of these, at the 8th year of the project, 2015‐2016, included an intra‐oral dental examination. Of the 614 participants: 524 (85.3%) were dentate (had one or more natural teeth present); 90 (14.6%) were edentate (and wore dentures); and 296 (48.2%) participants met the criteria for a complete periodontal assessment . Participants age ranged from 78 to 100 years with a mean age of 84 ± 4 years.…”

“…Information was collected on: the ability to chew common foods; eating/chewing difficulties; and the presence of pain or discomfort related to chewing. Details of the questionnaires, assessment processes and the cohort trail of the 2015‐2016 participants have been reported elsewhere …”

“…CHAMP collected general health and oral health information on a population-representative sample of older community-dwelling men from inner western Sydney suburbs in the 8th year of the project. 13 This study reports on the prevalence of chewing/eating difficulties and the associations between these, the status of the dentition and general health conditions of CHAMP participants. The central research questions of this study are to assess whether reported chewing and eating perceptions of older Australian men are influenced by, or associated with, oral health conditions (such as, number of teeth, active decay or periodontal disease, mouth dryness, etc.)…”

“…The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP) provides an opportunity to explore these associations in greater depth. CHAMP collected general health and oral health information on a population‐representative sample of older community‐dwelling men from inner western Sydney suburbs in the 8th year of the project . This study reports on the prevalence of chewing/eating difficulties and the associations between these, the status of the dentition and general health conditions of CHAMP participants.…”