Self-Care Behaviours and Use of Dental Services among Nigerian Elderly

OBJECTIVES:

To determine the self-care management of oral diseases and use of dental services among older adults in Lagos, Nigeria.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional study of self-care management of oral diseases among elderly patients attending Gbaja primary health care centre and Yaba old peoples home. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used for collecting data on demography, utilization of dental services and self-care of oral problems.

Epi info version 6.04 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS:

Only 45% of the respondents have ever visited the dentist. Majority (97.8%) attended only when there was a dental problem. The most common reason for attendance was for extraction. 69% of the respondents reported various dental conditions and problems. While only 46.4% of them visited the dentist, 36.2% did nothing and 26.1% treated the conditions with herbs. Home care methods of managing oral diseases were reported by 88% of the respondents and include use of saline mouth wash, chewing sticks, use of herbs and self medication.

Cost of treatment (31%) and dental fear (30%) were major reasons for not wanting to visit the dentist for treatment.

CONCLUSION:

Self-care behaviors are common among Nigerian elderly populations. These act as substitutes or supplements to formal health care services. It is important to improve oral health care services for the elderly in Nigeria by providing them subsidized or free treatment.