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Updated: May 10, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Prevalence of root caries among ambulant older adults living in central Chile
Rodrigo J Mariño1, Chiang S Fu2, Rodrigo A Giacaman3
1Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Objective:
To assess the prevalence of root caries and the treatment needs in an ambulant population of older adults, living in the Maule Region, Chile.
Basic Research Design:
The source of primary data was the Regional Oral Health Survey. A random sample of 438 older adults, aged 65-74 years, living independently in the community was orally examined, and underwent an oral health interview.
Results:
This was a largely dentate population (74.9%). Dentate participants had 70.4% of their root surfaces with recession. Those with exposed root surfaces had an average of 29.8 root surfaces exposed. The root caries index (RCI) was 8.23%, and a mean of 0.21 and 0.55 root surfaces filled and decayed, respectively.
Conclusion:
Participants had better oral health status than previously reported. Consistent with studies conducted in independent-living older adults, root caries occurred in a lower frequency among Chilean ambulant older adults. The proportion of unmet restorative needs could be reduced. Community-based preventive care programmes specifically tailored to older adults are needed to address this challenge.
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