Understanding dental status and treatment need of geriatric patients: oral health trends in an Indian population.

BACKGROUND Comprehensive data on the oral health status and dental treatment needs of the elderly population in India is deficient. AIM To understand and assess the dental status and treatment needs of a geriatric population in Northern India. METHODS A cross-sectional study was undertaken in National capital of India, New Delhi, and 412 subjects aged 60 years and above was involved in this study (259 females and 153 males). An intraoral clinical examination and a questionnaire performa were performed. The treatment needs were evaluated independently of the patient's request based on their dental and prosthetic status. RESULTS he prevalence of edentulism was 75%, with gender difference (69% of the men and 81% of the women). Eighty percent wore removable dentures, 10% had natural teeth only, and 10% had neither prostheses nor natural teeth. Most of the subjects needed to redo the prostheses (50%), 60% extractions and 25% conservative treatments. The treatment needs were extensive and mainly accumulated due to lack of awareness, neglected care and economic barriers. CONCLUSION high unmet need for perceived oral care and dental treatment existed among the sample elderly population studied.