María E. Quinteros & Loreto Nuñez Franz
Summary
The elderly population is on an increase and it is important for us to know the status of their oral health in order to direct our attention to epidemiological aspects on a scientific basis to provide a better quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the status of oral health of the homebound elderly. A Cross sectional study was conducted using a non-probability sampling method. The data was collected from bedridden patients enrolled in a Patient Home Care in a Primary Care Center. The response rate obtained was 90%. The majority of patients were female; their average age was 80. Only 60.9% of those surveyed had access to primary education. The prevalence of caries was 100% and the DMFT index was 25.6; 40.6% were edentulous and 54.7% had dentures. The 32.8% had root fragments; 82.8% were able to brush their teeth by themselves. 79.4% were observed to have poor oral health. In almost all cases, the caretaker was a daughter around 53 years of age, with low education level. The group surveyed had significant dental damage, had only a few remaining teeth and observed poor oral hygiene practices. Their care was also almost exclusively in the hands of family members who had a low education level.
KEY WORDS: homebound elderly, prevalence, oral hygiene, DMFT, GOHAI.
How to cite this article
QUINTEROS, M. E. & NUÑEZ, F. L. Oral health in homebound elderly adults. Int. J. Odontostomat., 8(3):337-343, 2014