Jette A M, Feldman H A, Tennstedt S L
New England Research Institute, Inc, Watertown, MA 02172.
Am J Public Health. 1993 Sep;83(9):1271-6. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.9.1271.
Because the public health literature contains few analytic studies of modifiable behavioral risk factors for dental disease among older community-dwelling populations, the New England Elders Dental Study was undertaken as an epidemiologic study of the oral health status of a representative sample of older adults living within the six New England states.
Five dentists conducted comprehensive in-home oral health examinations on 1156 community-dwelling adults aged 70 and older to determine whether lifetime use of tobacco products was a significant risk factor for tooth loss, caries, and periodontal disease.
Among New England elders, tobacco use was more common among men (18.1%) than women (7.9%), with a combined rate of 12.3%. Further, 64.7% of men and 36.6% of women were previous tobacco users. Years of exposure to tobacco products was a statistically significant risk factor for tooth loss, coronal and root caries, and periodontal disease, regardless of other social and behavioral factors.
Lifelong tobacco use is a modifiable risk factor for poor dental health among older adults. Dental practitioners need to intervene with all their adult patients to discourage use of tobacco products for oral as well as general preventive health care.
由于公共卫生文献中几乎没有针对社区居住老年人群口腔疾病可改变行为危险因素的分析研究，因此开展了新英格兰老年人牙科研究，以对居住在新英格兰六个州的具有代表性的老年人样本的口腔健康状况进行流行病学研究。
五名牙医对1156名70岁及以上的社区居住成年人进行了全面的家庭口腔健康检查，以确定终生使用烟草制品是否是牙齿脱落、龋齿和牙周疾病的重要危险因素。
在新英格兰老年人中，男性吸烟率（18.1%）高于女性（7.9%），综合吸烟率为12.3%。此外，64.7%的男性和36.6%的女性曾是烟草使用者。无论其他社会和行为因素如何，接触烟草制品的年限都是牙齿脱落、冠龋和根龋以及牙周疾病的统计学显著危险因素。
终生吸烟是老年人牙齿健康不佳的一个可改变危险因素。牙科医生需要对所有成年患者进行干预，劝阻他们使用烟草制品，以促进口腔及整体预防性医疗保健。
