Evaluating Oral Health in the Elederly

Objectives: To present elderly peoples own perception of oral health as the patientxs own opinion is of great interest in treatment planning. We often judge the value of oral health for the old patients from a middle-aged and professional perspective but time can change the value of oral health Methods: Qualitative based assessments from interview studies of elderly people in Sweden. Results: The rapid improvement of dental health in Sweden is occurring parallel to increases in life expectancy and life span. Memories of unfortunate childhood dental experiences and the parentsx deterrent oral problems were common in the interviews. During the participants` lifetime, economic growth and the development of the welfare state led to improved standards of living. Oral health has become important as a natural part of the welfare system and edentulousness has decreased. This has meant that dental care needs have risen among older people and although the interviewees considered dental care very expensive it was given priority over other items. They described the importance of receiving information and they wanted active participation in decision making about their treatment. Conclusions: Dental prevention and treatment for elderly people must meet the needs and the expectations of oral health among the elderly themselves. Results from biomedical and epidemiological research are important but the individual level must also be taken into consideration.