FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 2000
CONTACT:Fred Peterson[email protected]312-440-2806
Study Says Tooth Decay Prevalent Among Oldest Elderly
CHICAGO -- Tooth decay remains prevalent among the very old, according to university researchers in a study of Iowans 79 years or older. The study appears in the November 2000 issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).
"This study of the oldest elderly population found that coronal and root caries (tooth decay above and below the gum line) remain prevalent, " said lead author John J. Warren, D.D.S., M.S., assistant professor, College of Dentistry at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.Utilization of dental services among elderly people traditionally has been reported to be very low, mostly because there have been relatively few people in that age group who have retained natural teeth, the authors reported.
However, in this study, utilization of dental services was high among the dentate elderly, with nearly three-fourths reporting having visited a dentist within the past year. Nearly all reported that they paid for dental care themselves, with no third-party coverage.
"If population projections and oral and general health trends prove true, this study sample may represent a microcosm of many future elderly dental patients in their 80's who have many of their teeth, who continue to be at risk of experiencing dental caries and who regularly seek dental care despite lack of third-party coverage," concluded Dr. Warren.
The study sample was drawn from 449 surviving members of the Iowa 65-plus Rural Health Study cohort originally recruited in 1981. Study authors focused their analyses on 342 dentate persons of the group, 234 females and 108 males. They averaged 85.1 years old, with a range of 79 to 101 years. They also had an average of 19.4 remaining natural teeth, ranging from one to 31 teeth.
In the study, supported by a grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, trained investigators conducted an examination of the participants. It included evaluation of the oral soft tissue, tooth status, presence of coronal and root caries, tooth functional status and periodontal attachment loss.
Results revealed that nearly all subjects (96 percent) had coronal decay experience, with 23 percent of the subjects' coronal decay untreated. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the sample had root caries experience, and again 23 percent of the group had untreated root caries. They also found that a higher proportion of men than women had untreated coronal and root decay.
With increased life expectancy and longer retention of teeth, the demand for dental services in the population of the oldest elderly is likely to increase, Dr. Warren added.
Findings and recommendations reported in this news release should be considered only as results from a study appearing in JADA and not as accepted views of the American Dental Association (ADA). For information about the ADA's position on oral health issues, visit www.ada.org.
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