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ISSN 2063-5346
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GENERAL HEALTH, ORAL HYGIENE STATUS AND PERCEIVRED DENTAL TREATMENT NEEDS OF AN ELDERLY POPULATION IN UDAIPUR, RAJASTHAN

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Dr. Swapnil Oza, Dr. Pulkit Chaturvedi , Dr. Raghav Mehta, Dr. Ritu Randad , Dr. Shashank Sharma , Dr. Nipun Jain
» doi: 10.31838/ecb/2023.12.s3.749

Abstract

Introduction: Ageing is a natural and inevitable process. It has been estimated that around 142 million people or 8% of the population of the World Health Organization’s South East Asia region are above the age of 60 years. Oral Health can be defined as “A standard of health of the oral and related tissues that enables an individual to eat, speak and socialize without active disease, discomfort or embarrassment and that contributes to general wellbeing”. Objective: Aim: To increase awareness amongst the elderly people residing in old age home about oral health care and the treatment needs. Objective: By knowing the treatment needs of the elderly age group basic treatment needs can be provided in their vicinity with cost effective benefits Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in old age homes of Udaipur and the total population was 131, out of which 86 of them participated. Results: Data collected included the information related to age, sex, general health, previous dental history, current dental status, oral hygiene practices, denture hygiene and means of maintenance of these elderly people.70% of the participants clean their teeth once daily using toothbrush and toothpaste.65% of the females had dry mouth problems. In general, oral health of the participants is poor due to the presence of physical inability and limited movements, they cannot perform the task of oral hygiene properly. Conclusion: Oral health is as important as overall health. Elderly people require help and guidance from the staff, nurse or their relatives to maintain oral hygiene, in spite of their belief of taking care themselves so, financial support or health insurances have to be created for them.

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