Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Sciences, School of Dental Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Gerodontology. 2012 Jun;29(2):e220-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2010.00448.x. Epub 2010 Nov 17.
To investigate oral hygiene and periodontal disease in residents of Victoria nursing homes.
The Australian population is ageing with a growing proportion of elderly Australians living in nursing homes. With declining edentulism rates, periodontal disease is becoming more prevalent in this population.
A total of 275 dentate residents from 31 Victorian nursing homes had a questionnaire and clinical examination using the Visual Plaque Index and a modified Community Periodontal Index.
Self-reported oral hygiene habits of residents were poor, with less than one-third of residents cleaning their teeth twice daily or more. Periodontal health was found to be extremely poor, and the prevalence of 4 mm+ periodontal pockets was 35.6%, with 10.2% having 6 mm+ pockets. Logistic regression found that age, gender, number of teeth present and oral hygiene were all strongly associated with the prevalence of 4 mm+ periodontal pockets.
Poor oral hygiene and the presence of significant plaque and calculus were common findings in this study. Periodontal diseases are a significant problem for residents in nursing homes. Addressing this health issue will require improved training for carers and better access to appropriate dental services.
调查维多利亚养老院居民的口腔卫生和牙周病情况。
澳大利亚人口老龄化,越来越多的澳大利亚老年人居住在养老院。随着无牙颌率的下降,牙周病在这一人群中越来越普遍。
共有 275 名来自维多利亚州 31 家养老院的有牙居民接受了问卷调查和临床检查,使用视觉菌斑指数和改良社区牙周指数。
居民自我报告的口腔卫生习惯较差,不到三分之一的居民每天刷牙两次或更多次。牙周健康状况极差,4mm+牙周袋的患病率为 35.6%,6mm+牙周袋的患病率为 10.2%。Logistic 回归发现,年龄、性别、牙齿数量和口腔卫生与 4mm+牙周袋的患病率均有很强的相关性。
在这项研究中,不良的口腔卫生和大量的菌斑和牙石是常见的发现。牙周疾病是养老院居民的一个严重问题。解决这一健康问题需要对护理人员进行更好的培训,并更好地获得适当的牙科服务。