Dental conditions in middle-aged and older people in Denmark and Sweden: acomparative study of the influence of socioeconomic and attitudinal factors

In 1998-99 two parallel questionnaire studies were performed in Denmark and Sweden. In Denmark the age group was 45-69 years and in Sweden 55-79 years . One aim was to study the influence of socioeconomic and attitudinal facto rs on dental status in the two countries. For the comparable age groups 55- 69 years there was a striking difference in dental conditions between the c ountries. In Sweden, 72% had either all teeth remaining, missing teeth repl aced by fixed prosthodontics, or only one or two single missing teeth not r eplaced. The corresponding figure for Denmark was 44%. Among Danes, 34% wer e wearing removable denture(s) or were edentulous in one jaw or both jaws, compared with 15% among Swedes. In logistic regression models, higher incom e and longer education were significantly associated with the best dental s tatus categories in Denmark but not in Sweden. In the model with wearing re movable denture(s) as the dependent variable, lower income and lower educat ion level showed a significant influence for the Danes. In Sweden, lower in come showed a significant influence but education level was insignificant. In both Denmark and Sweden, a positive attitude toward the importance of de ntal appearance was associated with an increased risk of wearing removable denture(s).