Oral health status and care of institutionalized elderly individuals in Lebanon

Oral health of the elderly is a major public health challenge. Data on oral health and dental care of the institutionalized elderly is lacking in Lebanon.

(1) Assess the oral health of Lebanese people aged 65 years and over living in residential facilities; and (2) identify factors associated with poor oral status.

A.

sample of 526 nursing home residents aged 65 years and older was randomly selected from 46 residential facilities. Information collected were sociodemographic characteristics, degree of autonomy regarding toilet use and nutrition, presence of chronic diseases and medications, dry mouth sensation, dental brushing, access to oral health and reasons of dental visits. A structured oral examination was conducted to gather data on DMFT index, oral hygiene indices modified gingival index, and the unmet need for prosthesis. Statistical methods included bivariate and multivariate analyses.

55.9% of the participants were edentates, 41.4% used partial and/or complete dentures, and the minority used dentures with good hygiene. 15% of the dentate sample reported regular tooth brushing, 7% reported to have visited the dental office in the past 12 months, and 57% presented an unmet need for prosthesis. Oral health status was significantly related to age, smoking, daily tooth brushing, and autonomy (P < 0.05). Subjects with chronic diseases and consuming medications were more likely to have xerostomia.

Oral health status is poor in the elderly institutionalized Lebanese population, which should promote a multidisciplinary team sharing responsibility for daily oral hygiene and access to dental treatment.