Dental Caries Status among the Elderly in the Rural Areas of Yunnan Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study [post]

Shinan Zhang, Hui Ding, Xun Shen, Lingli Pu, Yingmei Li, Le Cai, Lan Yao
2020 unpublished
Background: Elder population is considered as a vulnerable group with high risk of dental caries. The older adults living in rural areas of Yunnan province account for approximately half of the province's total population. However, few studies have addressed their dental caries status. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the dental caries status and their associated factors among 65-74 years old people in the rural areas of Yunnan province, China. Methods: This cross-sectional
more » ... udy recruited participants through a multistage and stratified strategy, and comprised a clinical oral examination and a questionnaire survey. Two trained and calibrated dentists, wearing LED headlights, conducted the clinical assessment with dental mirrors and CPI probes. Caries experience was measured using the DMFT and DF-Root indices. A face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the participants' socio-demographic information, oral health-related knowledge and practices. A multi-factor ANCOVA test was used to detect the factors influencing coronal and root caries. Results: 1175 elderly residents aged 65-74 were included. The majority of the surveyed elderly respondents (87%) experienced coronal caries (DMFT>0), and 56% of the respondents had root caries. Their overall mean DMFT and DF-root scores were 10.4±10.9 and 2.4±3.8, respectively. In total, 12% of the participants were edentulous. In the final model, female (β = 2.872, p < 0.001) and residents who living in less developed areas (Jianchuan district) (β = 9.601, p < 0.001) had higher mean DMFT scores. DF-Root scores were also higher among female (β = 0.739, p < 0.001), residents who living in less developed areas (Jianchuan district) (β = 2.082, p < 0.001). In addition, elderly who had lower annual family income were more likely to had more root caries (β = 0.642, p < 0.001) . Conclusion: The dental caries status among 65-to 74-year-old in the rural areas of Yunnan province, China, was poor. Their coronal and root caries experience both varied by gender and place of residence. Cost-effective prevention and treatment programs for caries management should be implemented to benefit the elderly population in the rural areas of Yunnan province.
doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-17204/v2 fatcat:aeiom7vx3zhz7nqjywh4rfnuaa