Dental status and dental needs of an elderly population in Israel

Dental status and dental needs of a geriatric population were evaluated among 304 elderly people living in old age homes and in their own homes in Jerusalem, Israel. A total of 181 people (59.5%) were edentulous in both jaws and an additional 3% were edentulous in one jaw. Almost all dentures (95%) were considered to be unsatisfactory. In all, 1809 h were found to be necessary for treating cavities and prosthetic needs of this population and an additional 214 h for periodontal treatment which did not include surgery. In conclusion the dental status of this population was poor and dental needs were high. Since dental treatment is so expensive it is believed that this population would receive almost no treatment but for the future emphasis should be put into primary and secondary prevention from very young ages so that needs of this population as they get older would dramatically decrease as compared to the need of this study population.