A preliminary study of the periodontal status and treatment needs of elderly Nigerian subjects.

One hundred elderly subjects comprising of residents of old peoples homes and patients attending routine outpatients clinic at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital were examined in Lagos. The mean age of subjects was 68.7 years. Using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) it was found that 23% had tooth deposits (plaque/calculusonly) whilst 70% had shallow or deep pockets. 87% of these elderly subjects were caries-free and none had restored or filled teeth. However, more than half of the subjects had an average missing teeth number of 8.829% of the subjects needed extraction with an average of 3.3 teeth. Among the subjects that needed dental extraction, none had healthy periodontal condition whereas, 79% of them were caries free. It is concluded from this study that the periodontal status of the subjects was poor and the incidence of caries was low. Furthermore, the majority of the missing teeth could have been largely due to periodontal disease. Dental health education which is directed towards improved oral hygiene procedures is suggested for the elderly dental population. It is also suggested that elderly patients be given free or subsidised treatment. Furthermore, the National Health Policy should be directed towards domiciliary dental treatment for the compromised elderly patients.