Prosthetic needs and demands for services of a group of elderly people in Israel

Prosthetic needs and demands for care were investigated in a group of the elderly, residing in Romema, Jerusalem, Israel. Of the population aged 60 and above residing in the neighborhood, 34% (n = 116) were selected at random. These were examined under standardized conditions and prosthetic status and denture requirements were recorded. The findings indicate that the prosthetic status was poor and the treatment needs extensive. In all, over 83% of the study population were edentulous, the majority in both arches. Although 86.3% of the edentulous subjects possessed dentures, over 86% of these subjects needed some form of prosthetic treatment. About 60% needed new full or partial dentures and over 25% had dentures whose fit and retention could be improved by rebasing, relining or minor adjustments.