Oral health profile status and treatment needs in the Salvadoran elderly population: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction Older adults are a highly vulnerable group in their general health condition, including oral health that can be influenced by different factors, among them, changes in oral tissues inherent to the physiological processes of aging and by systemic condition. In El Salvador, it is a group that has received little attention at the public health level. Objective To determine the profile of the oral health status and treatment needs of the elderly population in El Salvador. Materials and methods Secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from the last oral health survey in 471 Salvadorans aged 60 years and older. The variables under study were: sociodemographics, brushing frequency, oral hygiene according to simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), caries experience according to decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFT) modified with international caries detection and assessment system (ICDAS) criteria, periodontal status through the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN), edentulism and treatment needs. Statistical analysis was conducted using chi-square test, ANOVA, z-test and linear regression (p < 0.05). Results The older adults presented poor oral hygiene, low brushing frequency, high tooth loss with an average of 16 missing teeth while one third presented total edentulism. Most of the older adults were categorized as having "poor or very Poor" oral hygiene. Almost all respondents presented some degree of periodontal disease and required restorative intervention. Conclusion The oral health status of elderly Salvadoran is poor. Furthermore, the development of public policies and specific oral health strategies aimed at this population is urgent.

Dental Status and Oral Health Behaviors of Selected 45–74-Year-Old Men from Northeastern Poland

“…In addition, our study showed that there was a significant positive correlation between age and the average DMFT and MT numbers, while there was a negative correlation between DT and FT numbers. This confirms the existence of a positive correlation between age and the intensity of caries and tooth loss [18,19,[29][30][31][32][33].…”

“…Particularly noteworthy is the highest percentage of men (65.7%) characterized by improper oral hygiene, despite the fact that they were notified by letter about the scheduled dental examination. Similar results were obtained among senior citizens (aged 60-75) from Salvador using the simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI), where the percentage of men with poor oral hygiene was 67.8% [19].…”

“…The other components-the average decayed and filled teeth-decreased as the age of the men increased, although this decrease was not as pronounced as the average MT. Epidemiological studies on the oral health of men over 45 years of age over recent years have also obtained the most significant component as the average MT number but DMFT ranged from 11.9 ± 8.59 to 26.9 ± 6.3 [15][16][17][18][19]29]. In addition, our study showed that there was a significant positive correlation between age and the average DMFT and MT numbers, while there was a negative correlation between DT and FT numbers.…”

“…Publications on the dental status of people aged 45-74 are infrequent, and findings are rarely analyzed by sex. There are several publications in the available literature on the dental condition of middle-aged and elderly men; however, groups of male respondents rarely exceed 200 individuals [15][16][17][18][19]. Su et al [20] evaluated sex differences with regard to oral health and habits in the United States of 4741 subjects (average age was 53.7 years old).…”

Causas principales de extracción de órganos dentales donados al biobanco de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de El Salvador, 2019

“…Ambas enfermedades son las principales causantes de la pérdida de dientes permanentes, congruente con lo anterior, la encuesta también revela que la pérdida dental aumenta con la edad, ya que en mayores de 60 años se reportó una media de 16.2 dientes perdidos 3 . Según el estudio sobre estado de salud bucal y necesidades de tratamiento en población adulta mayor, la pérdida dental puede afectar la calidad de vida y función masticatoria 4 .…”