A Cross-Sectional Study of Perceived Dental Treatment Needs and Oral Health Status in Community-Dwelling Older Australian Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project

Sachiko Takehara; F A Clive Wright; Vasi Naganathan; Vasant Hirani; Fiona M Blyth; David G Le Couteur; Louise M Waite; Markus J Seibel; David J Handelsman; Robert G Cumming

doi:10.1111/idj.12623

A Cross-Sectional Study of Perceived Dental Treatment Needs and Oral Health Status in Community-Dwelling Older Australian Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project

Int Dent J. 2021 Jun;71(3):224-232. doi: 10.1111/idj.12623. Epub 2021 Jan 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia; Department of Public Health, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: takehara.ohp@gmail.com.
² Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia; Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia; Ageing and Alzheimer's Institute, Aged Chronic Care and Rehabilitation, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia.
³ School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia.
⁵ Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia; Ageing and Alzheimer's Institute, Aged Chronic Care and Rehabilitation, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia.
⁶ Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia; Ageing and Alzheimer's Institute, Aged Chronic Care and Rehabilitation, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia.
⁷ Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Concord, NSW, Australia; ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁸ ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁹ School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Background: Assessing perceived needs for dental treatment is important in understanding and predicting people's health behaviours. The purpose of this study is to examine older men's perceptions regarding dental treatment needs, and to investigate the disparity between perceived needs and the actual oral health of a population of community-dwelling older Australians.

Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the 4th wave of the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project, logistic regression analysis of perceived needs for dental treatment was conducted for 596 men aged 78 and over, with functional tooth units (FTUs), number of decayed tooth surfaces, and periodontitis as independent variables.

Results: Thirty-six percent (n = 216) of the participants believed they required some form of dental treatment. The remaining participants did not perceive a need for treatment, yet 65.3% objectively required prosthodontic or restorative care. The regression model showed men with lower FTUs were significantly more likely to report a perceived need for dental treatment than those with 12 FTUs [0-6 FTUs: adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.58, 95% CI 1.28-5.20; 7-11 FTUs: adjusted OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.16-5.10]. However, neither the number of decayed tooth surfaces nor the existence of periodontitis was associated with perceived dental treatment needs.

Conclusions: Most older men viewed their oral health positively, and the majority of those with objectively assessed needs, did not perceive themselves as requiring dental treatment. Loss of FTUs appears to alert participants to seek treatment, but not the presence of dental caries or periodontitis.

Keywords: Australia; Community-dwelling older men; Dental caries; Functional tooth unit; Perceived dental treatment needs; Periodontitis.

MeSH terms

Aged
Aging
Australia / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dental Care
Dental Caries*
Humans
Independent Living
Male
Oral Health*