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DENTAL NEWS ARCHIVES 242

Simple Steps To Better Dental Health

Today, Older People Keep More Teeth

December 19, 2006

by Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - Older people are keeping more of their teeth than ever before and are more likely to visit the dentist, says a 30-year study.

Researchers from Goteborg University in Sweden collected information from 70-year-olds in five different years: 1971, 1976, 1981, 1992 and 2000.

Their findings:

  • Fewer older people are toothless. In 1971, only about half of the 70-year-olds had at least one tooth. In 2000, 93% did.

  • Older people are keeping more of their teeth. In the earliest group of 70-year-olds, the average number of teeth was 14. In the most recent group, it was 21. Also, in 1971, 13% of the 70-year-olds had at least 20 teeth. In 1981, 20% had at least this many. By 2000, 65% had at least 20 teeth.

  • Fewer older people have dentures. In 1971, 76% of the people in the study had some kind of removable denture. In 1981, only 37% had dentures. By 2000 the percentage had dropped to 17%.

  • Older people are more likely to visit the dentist. In 1971, only 20% of 70-year-olds visited the dentist regularly. In 1981, it was 50%, and by 2000, 80%.

Despite these improvements, certain things were consistently associated with poor oral health across all 30 years. They included:

  • Low education levels
  • Smoking
  • Being unmarried
  • Not being physically active
  • Having a large waist (a measure of being overweight)

A total of 2,290 people were included in the study. Each year's group varied between 400 and 600 people.

The study appears in the December issue of the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.

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