Elderly dental care. Needs and costs in three different resident settings

Although the real dental treatment needs of the elderly has been established, the costs for these needs has not been determined. This report compares dental services and costs required for older adults living in three different resident settings. Dental needs and costs have been evaluated from a sample of 305 aged persons living in nursing homes (N = 156), low-cost housing facilities (N = 79) or dependent on home care services (N = 70). This study indicates that the homebound or institutionalized elderly population presents with poor dental and periodontal conditions, a high rate of edentulousness, and inadequate dentures. Dental needs are essentially characterized by the repair or replacement of prosthesis, the screening and treatment of mucosal lesions of prosthetic origin, and scaling/curettage of remaining teeth. The average rehabilitative dental costs was Can. $720 and there was no difference between the three types of residence. Important differences in cost, however, were observed between the dentate and edentulous population. The F-test (P less than .05) and chi-square were used to analyze differences in dental treatment needs and costs between different residences. Maintenance care corresponds to Can. $80/year/person.