Edentulism and Oral Health Problems among Elderly Rural Iowans: The Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study

Ronald Hunt; James Beck; Jon Lemke; Frank Kohout; Robert Wallace

doi:10.2105/AJPH.75.10.1177

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Edentulism and Oral Health Problems among Elderly Rural Iowans: The Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Edentulism and Oral Health Problems among Elderly Rural Iowans: The Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study

Ronald Hunt, James Beck, Jon Lemke, Frank Kohout and Robert Wallace

American journal of public health (1971), Vol.75(10), pp.1177-1181

10/01/1985

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.75.10.1177

PMCID: PMC1646365

PMID: 3898879

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1646365View

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Abstract

A household health interview survey of 3,673 noninstitutionalized people aged 65 and over in two rural Iowa counties included questions about loss of teeth, use of dentures, and presence of oral health problems. Edentulism rates were 10-15% lower than those found a decade earlier in national health surveys. A log-linear analysis found that the best demographic predictors of edentulism were education, age, and marital status. Spouses tended to be of similar dentition status, i.e., both edentulous or both dentate. No association was found between the loss of teeth and prevalence of digestive problems. Only 7% of the edentulous people felt they needed to visit a dentist, even though 70% had not seen one for over five years. About 40% had dentures that were over 20 years old, with half of these being over 30 years old. Many dentures were loose and causing soreness in the mouth or difficulty in eating. These elderly people appeared to expect some problems with dentures and oral pain and accepted them without feeling a need to seek treatment.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Edentulism and Oral Health Problems among Elderly Rural Iowans: The Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study
Creators: Ronald Hunt - University of Iowa
James Beck
Jon Lemke - University of Iowa
Frank Kohout
Robert Wallace
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: American journal of public health (1971), Vol.75(10), pp.1177-1181
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.75.10.1177
PMID: 3898879
PMCID: PMC1646365
NLM abbreviation: Am J Public Health
ISSN: 0090-0036
eISSN: 1541-0048
Publisher: American Public Health Association
Language: English
Date published: 10/01/1985
Academic Unit: Epidemiology; Injury Prevention Research Center; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984364411802771

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