The Quality of Removable Prostheses in Dentate, Community‐Dwelling Elderly Residing in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Purpose Edentulism has been decreasing in the US elderly population; however, due to the increasing number of elderly, the need for prostheses has been projected to rise over the next several decades. One of the aims of the Puerto Rican Elderly Dental Health Study (PREDHS) was to assess the quality of removable prostheses (RP) in the Puerto Rican (PR) elderly (> 69 years of age) population. Methods A cross-sectional design, using a subgroup from the Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO) study of dentate, community-dwelling older adults from the greater San Juan area was employed. Eligible participants were administered structured questionnaires and examined in their homes by three trained and calibrated dentists using National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) criteria. Results One hundred and eighty three (183) participants were examined (61 males, 122 females) (p < 0.001). Overall, 64% were found to have a prosthetic problem with no statistical difference between genders. Unadjusted and age-adjusted logistic models were employed. Increasing age was associated with both upper and lower clinically defined abraded prostheses, (p = 0.007; p = 0.041, respectively). Maxillary (23%) and mandibular (27%) prostheses needed replacement due to deficiencies. Conclusion RP deficiencies were found in almost two-thirds of a representative sample of dentate 70+ year-old people residing in PR. There was no difference in the proportion of deficiencies between elderly who reported a dental visit in the preceding year or not having seen a dentist. A quarter of the prostheses required replacement. The findings from this and the NHANES studies demonstrate that an engaged and recognized prosthodontic dental school faculty continues to be as important now as it was a generation ago.

Evaluation of Team‐Based Learning and Traditional Instruction in Teaching Removable Partial Denture Concepts

“…However, we are among the dental faculty members who recognize that not all students are adequately prepared in RPD design when they graduate. Clinical studies have also found a deficiency in the level of dental graduates’ technical knowledge about removable prostheses 2 , 3 . During the 2011 annual senior exit interviews, enough students at the University of Florida College of Dentistry stated they felt underprepared at graduation in RPD treatment to prompt faculty members to consider ways to improve students’ level of understanding and clinical performance.…”