Oral health of Singapore adults

In a study conducted by the Dental Division of the Ministry of Health in 1992, 3157 Singapore adults aged 20 to 65 years and over were interviewed on their knowledge, attitude and practice of dental care and given an examination. About 66% indicated they required dental treatment. Utilisation of dental services was low with 39% visiting the dentist at least once in 2 years. About 72% brushed their teeth morning and night. The dental examination showed that 79.2% had calculus, 92% needed prophylaxis and oral hygiene instruction and only 0.2% needed complex periodontal treatment. A large proportion (96.6%) of the sample was dentate. The mean DMFT was 10.7 and the mean number of decayed root for the dentate population was 0.2. The age-group 65 years and over had the highest percentage (63.6%) of persons wearing dentures and the age group 50-54 years had the highest percentage (54.2%) requiring dentures. This study has shown that oral health promotion for home and professional care should be stressed to the adult population, particularly the older age groups.