A comparison of oral health in elderly populations seeking and not seeking dental care

The General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) has been recommended for use as an outcome measure In the evaluation of dental treatment. This study was designed to assess the ability of the GOHAI In the evaluation of differences in those actively seeking dental care compared with those not seeking care. GOHAI was self-administered to two samples of elderly Individuals, over 65 years of age, In the Columbus, OH, area. The first sample was ambulatory individuals living in a nursing home in Columbus, and the second sample consisted of patients accessing dental care at The Ohio State University (OSU) dental school clinics. Other variables used in this study were age, gender, self-rated oral and general health, and use of prostheses. Overall mean GOHAI score in the nursing home respondents was significantly higher (32.1 ± 3.0) when compared with that of dental patients (mean, 30.4 ± 3.9, p = 0.01). Mean GOHAI scores for all categories of variables used were consistently higher (better) in the nursing home respondents than for the dental patients. Results of this study show that self-assessed oral health measured by the GOHAI was higher for those individuals not seeking dental care than for those actively seeking dental care. The GOHAI is sensitive as an outcome measure in differentiating between Individuals actively seeking care and those not seeking care .