Prevalencia de dentición funcional en ancianos mexicanos

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence of functional teeth (FT) and their distribution using clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic variables in a sample of Mexican elderly.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional study of 139 adults aged 60 years and older was conducted in two nursing homes and one club in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. The dependent variable was FT, and participants were operationally categorised as 0 (having less than 21 teeth) or 1 (having 21 or more teeth). Those categorised as 1 comprised the FT group. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and behavioural variables were collected using a questionnaire. Clinical variables were collected by a trained examiner using a standardised examination. Analysis was performed using non-parametric tests in Stata.

Results

The mean age was 79.06 ± 9.78 years. Most (69.1%) of the participants were women. The prevalence of FT was 10.1%. In the bivariate analysis, it was observed that the FT group was younger (p < .05), women displayed a greater prevalence of FT than men (p < .05), as did those involved in a relationship compared to being single (p < .05), and FT prevalence differed by type of isolation (p < .05).

Conclusions

The prevalence of FT is low among nursing home residents and club members, and it varies with age, sex, relationship status, and type of isolation.