Objective: To determine the oral health status and treatment needs of elderly residents in Vietnamese nursing homes.
Methods: This study was conducted among 360 men and 431 women with a mean age of 72.9 ± 9.1 years in three nursing homes in Ho Chi Minh City. Demographic information on education, duration of stay, chronic diseases, tooth brushing and tobacco use were obtained from medical records and a questionnaire. The oral health of participants was clinically assessed by a dental examiner using WHO criteria. Oral health status included estimates of coronal and root caries, periodontal disease, denture status and dental treatment needs.
Results: Nearly all (90.1%) of the participants had natural teeth. The mean numbers of teeth with coronal or root decay were 5.8 ± 4.0 and 6.0 ± 4.2, respectively, and almost everyone required at least one restoration for coronal or root caries. Most of the participants with natural teeth had bleeding gingiva on probing, 26.2% had deep periodontal pockets, 96.5% needed oral hygiene improvement plus scaling and 20.3% required complex periodontal treatment. None of the edentulous participants had dentures, and 86.6% required new or repaired dentures.
Conclusion: The prevalence of untreated oral diseases is very high and the need for dental care extensive among the residents of government-administered long-term care facilities in Ho Chi Minh City.
Keywords: Vietnam; dental and periodontal problems; elderly people; nursing home; treatment needs.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S and The Gerodontology Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.