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Introduction. As the number of institutionalized elderly in the
world increases, so does the need for good medical and dental care for
this group of people. The aim of this research was to determine the oral
hygiene level, dental, periodontal and prosthetic status of
institutionalized elderly persons of over 65 years, in three residential
homes for elderly in Belgrade.
Material and Method. Three hundred and one persons were
interviewed and clinically examined. The questionnaire included
sociodemographic data, habits concerning oral hygiene, subjective
assessment of one’s own health and prosthetic status. Clinical
examination determined dental and periodontal status by using DFMT and
CPITN index. Condition of oral soft tissues was also estimated. Existing
dentures were evaluated in terms of retention, stabilization, attrition,
hygiene, and need for repairment.
Results. Of all examined people, 16.6% did not maintain oral
hygiene; 2.3% received help with maintaining oral hygiene, although
36.5% was dependant on other people’s care. Average DFMT was 26.36.
CPITN was 2.23 on average. No denture and a need for one was observed in
41.1% examined institutionalized persons. Fifty-five point two percent
of dentures needed repairment, and denture hygiene was poor in 50.0% of
cases. Among the examined, 11.9% were edentulous and had no denture.
Conclusion. To conclude, institutionalized elderly do not receive
help in maintaining oral hygiene, although the majority is dependent on
other people’s care. Also, there is a large number of missing teeth and
a need for complete periodontal and prosthetic treatment of most
examined persons. It is essential to improve dental health care in
residential homes for elderly.
Key words: oral
health, elderly, institutionalized
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