ORAL HEALTH-STATUS AND TREATMENT NEEDS OF NONINSTITUTIONALIZED PERSONS AGED 60+ IN ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

There has been a growing recognition of the need to obtain information about the oral health of older Australians. The aim of this report is to provide descriptive epidemiological information about the oral hea lth and treatment needs of non-institutionalized older adults in Adela ide. Data from interviews with 178 persons aged 60+ were obtained from a pilot study. Clinical data were available for 106 persons who parti cipated in oral examinations. Among the 52.9 per cent of dentate perso ns, the prevalence of root decay (27.1 per cent) was slightly higher t han coronal decay (23.6 per cent). Some 28.1 per cent of dentate perso ns had a serious periodontal condition, defined as the presence of fou r or more teeth with at least 5 mm or more of periodontal attachment l oss and periodontal pocketing of 4 mm or more at one or more of those teeth. The majority of persons (83.8 per cent) wore one or two denture s. Disorders associated with dentures were frequent, affecting 77.4 pe r cent of upper denture wearers and 72.5 per cent of lower denture wea rers. Persons who were older, who had lower educational attainment or lower household incomes were disadvantaged in aspects of oral health s tatus and dental caries. However, there were no consistent association s between chronic medical conditions and oral disorders. Despite the h igh prevalence of oral impairment, reflecting extensive disease activi ty in the past, high levels of untreated disease were relatively uncom mon. Instead, a high prevalence of oral disorders created a substantia l need for basic forms of dental treatment in this group.