Oral health Survey of a population living in nursing homes in Catalonia.

Abstract

Successful ageing, which gives the highest autonomy possible for the elderly, is the one that everyone aspires to. It is based on this objective that the “Departament de Sanitat i Seguretat Social” of Generalitat de Catalunya on its publication: “L’atenció sociosanitària a Catalunya. Vida als anys”, aims for on their motto: “ageing, health and quality of life” stating that this should be one of the axis of welfare policies and research of the coming years. In the age range 75-80 years there is a rise on the physiological indicators of fragility, thus increasing the need for support and the use of health services. The dental requirements will also be different from what dentists are used to treating, as we will start to see patients with very heavily restored dentitions, with severe chronic periodontitis and multiple cases of severe tooth wear. The majority of elderly patients are partially or completely edentate. This may mean that they require new dentures or repairs to old dentures to improve the function of the denture and ability to eat properly again. Elderly patients may have bad oral hygiene, making them more susceptible to having periodontal disease. We need to use specific indices to be able to evaluate those differences, and we need to bear in mind their self-perception of oral health, as well as their cognitive impairments in order to plan an accurate treatment plan. The most recent studies carried out in Catalonia on oral health in institutionalized elders were more than 20 years ago. Together with other studies done in other regions of Spain where there was lack of homogeneity we believed that we needed to update the data we currently had following the new guidelines of WHO. In the 80s, there were similar studies done on primary schools to try to decrease the number of decayed teeth on children in Catalonia by introducing fluoride mouthwashes on a weekly basis. Thanks to these studies they contributed to raise awareness to the population, as well as politicians, so that better social healthcare decisions could be taken by the Generalitat de Catalunya. We aim that by providing new data on the oral health of people over 65 years in Catalonia living in nursing homes, as well as their treatment needs and their own perception of their oral health it will document and justify new political decisions in regards to preventive and health care programs for the elderly people.