Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Ageing is an undeniable process. Oral diseases is strongly influenced by patient’s belief, attitudes and values. In elderly individuals, daily oral care requires knowledge and self-skill from the individual or assistance from those providing care. Objective:  To determine the pattern of presentation of oral conditions among elderly patients  attending a tertiary health facility in South-east Nigeria.
Methodology: A retrospective review of the hospital records of elderly patients who attended and had oral clinical evaluation done in Dental clinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State, Nigeria from January 2018 to December 2018 was done. Results: A total of 106 elderly patients were clinically evaluated, 49(46.2%) were males, 57(53.8%) were females giving a male to female ratio of  about 1:1.2  The age range of the patients was 61 to 90 years with a mean age of 68.7 ± 6.5 years. The highest presentation of oral conditions (61.3 %) was found in the 60-69 years age group, followed by the 70-79 years age group. Periodontal diseases and sequalae of dental caries were the common presentations. P=0.11. Conclusion: Ageing is a natural process and should be regarded as a normal or inevitable biological phenomenon. Early presentation, early diagnosis, early intervention and preventive treatments can prevent or decrease the progress of most oral diseases.
Key words: Elderly, Oral conditions, Oral health, Health facility.

Received: 15 July, 2019                              Revised:  19 August 2019                         Accepted: 25 August 2019

Corresponding author: Dr. Osadolor O.O, Department of Child Dental Health, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku- ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria

This article may be cited as: OO Osadolor, HC Amuta, DI Obi, BE Ogbozor. Oral Health Conditions among Elderly Patients Attending a Nigerian Tertiary Health Facility. J Adv Med Dent Scie Res 2019;7(9):1-4.