Oral health assessment in a cohort of non-institutionalized elderly

Abstract

Background  It is known that the epidemiological instruments commonly used to assess oral conditions, such as DMFT and CPI, are not sensitive enough to discriminate elderly people in relation to oral health.

Objective  To determine changes in the oral health status of non-institutionalized elderly over time, based on the application of a multidimensional indicator.

Method  This is a longitudinal study performed in a cohort of 183 elderly in the city of Macaíba/RN. A factor analysis allowed all variables collected, both oral health and socioeconomic, demographic, and general health status, to be considered to produce oral health multidimensional indicator. In addition, Student's T-test for dependent samples, Pearson's Chi-Square test and Relative Risk (CI 95%) were used in the search for associations between oral health of the elderly and the independent variables.

Results  It was observed that 22.2% of elderly worsened their oral health condition across time and that being married was a protective factor for such worsening. Among the factors that composed the indicator, those most related to the change in the oral health status were "root caries and need for extraction" and "young older people with higher home density".

Conclusion  The proposed indicator reinforces the importance of considering instruments that further study the dental dimensions to assess oral health, facilitating the planning of actions for the older people oral health.

Keywords:
longitudinal studies; elderly; oral health