Dental status and attitude of the elderly
Robertson, C.J.; Bliss, H.D.; Beck, D.J.
New Zealand Dental Journal 72(330): 216-219
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-8047 PMID: 796769 Document Number: 103845
There is a lack of information on the dental status and attitudes of the elderly. In this study, carried out in Christchurch and Dunedin [New Zealand], 500 subjects aged 60 yr and over were interviewed and a questionnaire was completed. The subjects were selected for inclusion in the survey by a quota method of sampling. Only 5% of the subjects had natural teeth and wore no dentures; 11% had natural teeth and also wore some form of denture; 84% were edentulous. The majority (86%) of the denture-wearers were wearing full upper and lower dentures; 77% had been edentulous for .gtoreq. 30 yr and 38% wore dentures that were aged .gtoreq. 20 yr. Among the denture-wearers, 65% had dentures provided by a private dentist; 23% in Christchurch and 10% in Dunedin had dentures supplied by technicians. The remainder had dentures provided by the University of Otago Dental School or Christchurch Hospital. Thirty-five percent of denture-wearers considered they needed new dentures; cost seemed to be the most common deterrent. A problem in unmet dental needs exists in the elderly population in New Zealand and a full clinical investigation of the extent of this problem seems urgent.