Resumo

CASOTTI, Cezar Augusto; LIMA, Laís de Andrade; GOMES FILHO, Douglas Leonardo  e  FRANCISCO, Kléryson Martins Soares. Self-perception and oral health conditions of the elderly in a small town. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2012, vol.60, n.2, pp. 187-193. ISSN 1981-8637.

Objective To evaluate the oral health status, self-perception, oral condition and access to dental services in elderly aged 65-74 living in the urban municipality of Manoel Vitorino, Bahia. Methods This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study. We used the DMFT index, and the use of and need for dental prosthesis, Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index and a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the oral health status, self-perception of oral condition and access to dental services. Data were collected by a single standardized examiner in home visits with Community Health Workers, and were tabulated and analyzed using the software Epibuco and Epi-info. Results We examined 88 subjects, the mean DMFT and age being 28.9 and 68.89, respectively. It was found that 96.7% of teeth were lost, 68.2% were completely edentulous and 63.26% had unsatisfactory prostheses. The value of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index was 27.21. Among the subjects examined, 19.3% had access to public dental services. Conclusion From the data obtained, we conclude that the oral health status of elderly residents in the urban area of Manoel Vitorino is unsatisfactory, the self-perception of oral health is low and access to public oral health care is inadequate.

Palavras-chave : Aged.; Oral health.; Perception.; Self concept..