[Self-perception of the need for full dental prosthesisamong toothless elderly Brazilians]

The objective is to estimate the prevalence of self-perception of the need for a full dental prosthesis among toothless elderly Brazilians aged 65 to 74, as well as identify the associated factors. It is a cross-sectional study based on the national survey of oral health conditions of the Brazilian population, called SB Brazil - 2010. The dependent variable was the self-perceived need for full dental prosthesis, considering the purchase of new or replacement of the existing prosthesis. Descriptive bivariate and multiple analyses were conducted on 3514 elderly people, of which 2039 (55%) elderly self-perceived the need for a full denture. The self-perception of the need for a full denture was higher among those who needed dental prosthesis and who were dissatisfied with their oral health conditions. In addition to the high prevalence of self-perception of the need for prosthesis identified, the results identified that normative and subjective conditions of oral health remained associated with this self-perception among elderly Brazilians.