Clinical and self-perceived oral health assessment of elderly residents in urban, rural, and institutionalized communities

• Main Authors: Moan Jéfter Fernandes Costa, Caio Alano de Almeida Lins, Louise Passos Vigolvino de Macedo, Vanessa Patrícia Soares de Sousa, Jussaro Alves Duque, Marcelo Cardoso de Souza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculdade de Medicina / USP
• Series: Clinics
• Subjects: Elderly Care; Quality of Life; Oral Health; Geriatric Dentistry; Public Health
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322019000100256&lng=en&tlng=en

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the self-perception of oral health according to the physical, psychosocial and pain/discomfort dimensions related to clinical conditions and orofacial pain of elderly people living in three different environments. METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional, quantitative study with a population-based approach and nonprobabilistic convenience sampling that included 81 elderly people: 27 resided in institutional homes for elderly individuals, 27 resided in an urban area and 27 resided in a rural area in the interior of Paraíba (PB) in northeastern Brazil. RESULTS: The Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was used to assess self-perception of oral health, while the Questionnaire for Screening of Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders (QST/TMD) was used to assess the influences of orofacial pain and the biofilm indexes of teeth and prostheses. There was a statistically significant difference in the GOHAI scores among the places of residence, with the worst values associated with the rural area. According to the QST/TMD, the majority of individuals were affected by TMDs, with statistical differences for both sex and income. CONCLUSION: The biofilm analysis showed a higher incidence of clinical conditions in the rural population. The place of residence also influenced self-perception and the clinical oral health condition of elderly people; the rural population presented the worst results.