Prevalence of Oral Impacts on Daily Life among Elderly Patients

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of oral impacts among Nigerian elderly patients.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional survey of 100 consecutive sample of elderly patients attending a primary health care center in Lagos, Nigeria. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain data in relation to socio-demographic information, perceived need for dental treatment, presence of oral problems or pain and their oral impact on daily living. Oral impact was assessed based on ten aspects of daily life. Epi info 2005 statistical software was used for analysis.

RESULTS:

Overall 45% of the respondents reported an oral impact on daily life. Difficulty with chewing hard food like meat was the most prevalent oral impact while difficulty relaxing was the least prevalent. The presence of at least one oral impact was significantly associated with perception of need for dental treatment (p=0.000), gender (p=0.006), and presence of oral complaints in the last one year (p=0.000).

CONCLUSION:

The study reveals that oral health impacts on daily living in Nigerian elderly patients are considerable. There is a need for oral health education so that favorable attitudes towards accepting prompt treatment can be developed.