Denture marking for identification.

A method for including the patient's name in the denture base material for identification purposes has been described. This simple procedure takes little time, has almost no cost, and is effective.     

Denture stomatitis in the elderly

A study was carried out of 121 elderly edentulous individuals living in institutionalised homes in the Lothian Region, Scotland to determine the prevalence of yeasts and associated oral disease. Clinical examinations found that 65(54%) of the individuals suffered from denture stomatitis, and yeasts were recovered from 51(78%) of these individuals. The main yeasts isolated were Torulopsis glabrata and Candida albicans. Culture of saliva samples produced a slightly higher recovery rate of yeasts compared with swabbing of the floor of mouth and palate. The number of cigarettes smoked per day had a significant positive effect on the presence of denture stomatitis. No difference in disease state was shown between secretors and non-secretors of blood group antigens in saliva. This study demonstrates a significant level of oral mucosal infection in an institutionalised elderly population.     

Denture stomatitis in an elderly edentulous Asian population

summary Denture stomatitis is a common oral disease in denture wearers. Multiple aetiological and predisposing factors are believed to be responsible for its initiation and progression. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between denture age, denture hygiene habits, denture wearing and denture cleanliness in an elderly edentulous Asian population. Seventy-five edentulous patients, all wearing maxillary complete dentures were divided into two groups. The test group comprised 36 patients (14 male and 22 female) with Type II denture stomatitis. The control group comprised 39 subjects (14 male and 25 female) with clinically healthy palatal mucosa. A standardized interview and clinical appraisal were carried out. The dye disclosing method was used to assess denture cleanliness and the resultant staining pattern scored. Statistical appraisal between the two groups revealed significant differences in denture hygiene habits ( P <0.05), denture wearing behaviour ( P <0.01) and denture cleanliness ( P <0.01). No significant difference was observed in the age of dentures between the test group and controls ( P >0.05). In the studied Asian edentulous population, a relationship between denture hygiene habits, denture wearing behaviour and denture cleanliness to the presence of denture stomatitis was observed.     

Denture status and need for prosthodontic treatment among institutionalized elderly in Denmark

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the realistic need for prosthodontic treatment among institutionalized elderly in Denmark. The study population comprised 486 elderly in nursing homes and 199 in hospital long-term care facilities. The realistic need for treatment was estimated on the basis of the normative and the perceived needs, taking into account the general mental and physical state of each individual as assessed by the charge nurses. The investigation revealed that the majority of the elderly were markedly handicapped, two-thirds were unable to care for themselves, and 15% were in poor mental condition. Among the residents of nursing homes 67% had a normative need for prosthodontic treatment, e.g. new dentures, relining and/or corrections of occlusion, as compared to 71% of the elderly in hospital long-term care facilities. However, only 19% of the nursing home residents and 32% of the elderly in long-term care facilities has a realistic treatment need. The differences between the two groups of elderly are explained by differences in age and general health status. It can be concluded that the realistic need for prosthodontic treatment among institutionalized elderly in Denmark is far from being met, and that this problem can only be solved if given higher priority by the political decision-makers.     

Domiciliary dental care for handicapped elderly people

Although the number of elderly people in this country is not expected to rise significantly up to the year 2000, the proportion of elderly people in the community will rise—particularly the proportion of very elderly frail people. Many are fit and healthy, but those who are handicapped present particular problems for planning and implementation of a dental service for them.

Over the past three years, the author has been providing a domiciliary dental service in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for elderly people who are housebound, and residents in residential homes for the elderly and long-stay hospitals. This service, including the pattern of referral of patients and the success of treatment, is discussed and the cost is compared with provision of treatment in a hospital clinic.

The success rate of the treatment was high. The keenness of the patient may be a good indicator of a favourable prognosis of treatment. The cost of a dentist travelling to a patient may be much less than transporting a patient by ambulance to a clinic.     

Denture problems and the quality of life in a Dutch elderly population

The quality of complete dentures among the Dutch elderly population is often rather poor. Besides, complaints are frequently reported. It is unclear whether these denture problems affect the quality of life. In this study the relationship between the presence of denture problems and the perceived quality of life was considered. Thirty-one edentulous individuals, over 55 yr of age, were interviewed and clinically examined. The results show a significant relationship between the denture variables "quality", "satisfaction" and "complaints". Quality of life is weakly correlated with the quality of the dentures, but not with the other main denture variables. Some implications of these findings are briefly discussed.     

Dental care for elderly people with a handicap.

In the elderly population there is an increased incidence of impairment and disability, but these only become a handicap if the dental services fail to take them into consideration. This paper identifies the barriers and how they can be overcome.     

Dental care for elderly people by general dental practitioners

In Salford, the care and facilities for elderly people provided by general dental practitioners in practices having three or more dentists were compared with those given in smaller practices. Accessibility and size of dental practice were significantly related, with larger practices being more accessible to elderly and disabled people than smaller ones. A domiciliary service was given by all dentists, regardless of size of the practice. Forty-three per cent of dentists in the larger but none in the smaller practices recalled full denture patients. Eighty-seven per cent of dentists in the larger practices, compared with 53% of those in small ones, gave correct answers to seven or more of 14 questions about the elderly. Attitudes towards the elderly were measured using a seven-point scale: the more favourable the attitude, the higher the score. The mean score for dentists in large practices was 5.13, which was significantly greater than the mean score of 4.16 for those in small practices (P less than 0.001).     

Dental care for elderly people. Inventory and recommendations

This article presents a brief review of the existing literature on dental care for elderly people. Also, based on this review and its conclusions, some guidelines are given in order to improve the dental care for elderly people.     

Risk factors for periodontal disease progression among elderly people

The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for periodontal disease progression by individual characteristics at baseline among elderly people over a 2-year period. Subjects were selected from 4542 people aged 70 years residing in Niigata who were in good general health and who did not require special care for their daily activities. Gender, smoking and alcohol drinking habits were obtained using a questionnaire, while serum levels of disease markers were investigated and attachment levels were clinically recorded. For the assessment of periodontal disease progression, additional attachment loss was used if one or more sites had a 3-mm or more increase in probing attachment level over a 2-year period. In all, 394 subjects (208 males and 186 females) were surveyed. Approximately 75% of subjects exhibited additional attachment loss over a 2-year period. Significant associations were found between additional attachment loss and smoking, and attachment level of 6 mm or more at baseline, with odds ratios of 3.75 and 2.29, respectively. Smoking habit and baseline attachment level of 6 mm or more may be considered risk factors for further attachment loss among healthy elderly people.     

Perceived masticatory function among elderly people

summary This Study investigated the status and associations of perceived chewing ability of a group of 891 elderly people, aged 55-91 years (average age 66 years). The majority of subjects (69%) considered that they could chew well. Only 9% reported poor chewing ability. This judgement was not associated with age. More men (11%) than women (6%) had reported poor chewing ability. Subjects with better perceived general and craniomandibular health reported better chewing ability. However, although related to permanent tooth loss, the perception of chewing ability was not seemingly associated with prosthetic rehabilitation. All elderly subjects with complete dental arches had no complaints of perceived chewing difficulty. Freedom from symptoms of craniomandibular pain when chewing, bilateral chewing activity and a wide choice of food range or textures were associated with favourably perceived chewing ability. This study identifies several suitable criteria for judging masticatory function and suggests that these may be used to complement chewing ability as an alternative measure of masticatory performance. These criteria are applicable to the elderly person, in particular, and warrant adequate clinical application.     

Caries prevalence in Dutch elderly people

In 1986 a nationwide oral survey was carried out in the Netherlands. One of the aims of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral diseases in adults. The present paper describes the prevalence of coronal and root caries in elderly Dutch subjects (45-74 years). The oldest age group (65-74 years) had, on average, the least number of teeth remaining; the posterior oral segment contained fewer teeth than the anterior segment. The anterior segment had the higher percentage of teeth with coronal caries and the posterior segment a higher percentage of filled teeth. The reverse was the case for root caries; a higher percentage of teeth had root caries in the posterior segment and the anterior segment a higher percentage of filled teeth.