engleski

Tooth loss, chewing ability and quality of prosthetic appliances in a group of elderly home residents from northern Croatia

ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between tooth loss, quality and types of prosthodontic appliances and their impact on chewing performance and food choice in elderly. Material and methods: In this study 110 geriatric care home residents from northern Croatia participated between the age of 64 and 98. Informed consent was taken for all the subjects and privacy and confidentiality of the information were maintained. Each examinee completed a questionnaire after which an oral examination was performed. Obtained data included dental and medical history, tooth loos, assessment of prosthodontic appliances by CDA Quality Index, Chewing Ability Index according to Yoshida et al., and oral hygiene assessment. Results: From total number of participants 78 % were female and 22 % male participants. Edentulous or subtotal edentulous with 25 or more extracted teeth were 54 % of the examinees. Some type of prosthodontic appliances had 84% of subjects , most commonly complete and /or partial dentures (68%). According to CDA Index of Quality , 46 % of all examined prosthodontic appliances were in need for replacement, among them 16 % for immediate replacement. Up to 10 years old were 63% of the appliances, and the oldest was 50 years old. Chewing ability assessed according to Yoshida et al. demonstrated that only 32 % of examinees were able to chew all types of food, but mostly slow, while 20 % of them were able to eat liquid food only. Conclusion:. Extensive tooth loss, inadequate quality status of prosthodontic appliances, or lack of them at all, influenced the chewing ability of the tested examinees.This is one of the reasons for inadequate nutritional status in elderly, which can affect maintenance of good health, physical power and activity. Population of the elderly is rapidly increasing and it is important to emphasize the importance of maintaining good oral health to achieve good quality of life.

aging ; prosthodontic appliance ; home residents ; chewing ability

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