Uso e necessidade de prótese dentária e fatores associados em idosos institucionalizados em um município do sudeste do Brasil

Abstract

Use of and Need for Dental Prostheses and associated factors in Nursing Home Elderly in a City in Southeastern Brazil Objective: To assess the use, need for, quality of prostheses and associated factors in the elderly who live in nursing homes. Background: The elderly account 8.4% of the Brazilian population, with a trend toward a 50% increase over the next ten years. There are 3,548 nursing homes in Brazil, serving around 0.5% of this population. Substantial tooth loss and the need for dental prostheses are clearly evident. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 1,003 elderly people living in charity funded nursing homes in a city in southeastern Brazil, where there are 27 nursing homes of this kind. Everyone who scored above the mini-mental test cut-off point (21) was examined and interviewed, totaling 191 individuals. Oral examinations were conducted to assess the use, need for, and quality of the prosthesis, as well as the elderly persons degree of dependency (Katz). The STATA Program was used to assess the association between predictors and the use and need for dental prostheses. A multivariate analysis by Poisson regression with robust variance obtained Prevalence Ratios and 95% Confidence Intervals. Results: Most of the elderly were female, single, with at least three years of schooling, and independent in their daily activities. A great need was seen in men, who presented the least amount of use. The results showed a trend toward the greater the age, the greater the use, and the lower the age, the greater the need for a prosthesis. Conclusions: There was a greater need for dental prostheses and use in nursing homes, with gender influence, where women used a prosthesis more often than men, who, in turn, showed a greater need for them.