Abstract

LEWANDOWSKI, Andressa  and  BOS, Ângelo José Gonçalves. Estado de saúde bucal e necessidade de prótese dentária em idosos longevosState of oral health and necessity of implant dentistry in the oldest old. Rev. Assoc. Paul. Cir. Dent. [online]. 2014, vol.68, n.2, pp. 155-158. ISSN 0004-5276.

Introduction: According to data from the 2010 Brazilian census, while the elderly population increased 43.3%, the population of older adults aged 80 and older increased 72%. Considering the high number of individuals in this age group, the unawareness about needs of oral care in this age group, this study investigated the use and need of dentures in this age group. Materials and methods: This is a quantitative, descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 38 elderly patients aged 80 years or older. Index of Use and Need of Prosthesis was used. Results: Majority was oldest old women (71.1%), mean age of 89.1 years (±4.5). Regarding the use of upper dentures, 76.3% of the oldest have Total Denture (TD), 13.2% do not have, 7.9% have Removable Partial Denture (RPD) and 2.6% have more than one a Fixed Bridge (FB). Regarding the lower arch, 39.6% have PT, 34.2 % do not have prosthesis, 18.4% have RPD. In the upper arcade, 50% needs TD, 36.8 % do not need, 10.5% need prosthesis of more than one element and 2.6% need combination of prosthesis. In the lower arch, the majority require prosthesis, 42.1% of PT, 28.9% of prosthesis of more than one element, 5.3% need a combination of prostheses. The percentage of oldest old who does not need a lower prosthesis is 23.7%. Conclusion: Findings from the study show that the oldest old individuals are increasing steadily in our population and they have significant needs for prosthetic rehabilitation.

Keywords : health of the elderly; longevity; oral health; dental prosthesis.