engleski

5-year prosthodontic appliance distribution study in elderly in Croatia.

Objectives: Due to the dramatically increasing number of elderly in overall population the need for prosthodotnic appliances increases respectively. The aim of this investigation was to determine the 5-year distribution of various prosthodontic appliances in older age cohorts, subventioned by the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance /CIHI/. Methods: Data on various prosthodontic appliances subventioned by the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance and delivered to patients of 50 years of age and older in all regions of Croatia in the period 2002-2006 was obtained, divided into 4 age cohorts and statistically analyzed relative to age groups and gender. Results: Most of the prosthodontic appliances were delivered in the age group of 70-80 year olds (30.13%), and the most frequently used appliance was veneered crowns, which was delivered 77251 times. the least frequently used fixed prosthodontic appliance ws full metal modified crown which was delivered 597 times. The most frequently delivered appliance in all age groups were partial removable dentures (382456 deliveries). there were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) between the Croatian regions regarding appliance distribution relative to the population size. The oldest age group (80+) showed the least appliance deliveries. Conclusions: Significantly less deliveries in the oldest age cohort compared to other groups (p<0.05) suggest that the oldest elderly patients tend to maintain prosthodontic appliances for a longer period than functionally acceptable. The need for fixed and removable prosthodontic services will increase in the future as the result of preventive programs in dentistry and increasing number of elderly.

Elderly; prosthodontic appliance

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