CHARACTERISTICS OF DENTAL HEALTH OF ELDERLY PEOPLE LIVING IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Abstract

Introduction. Elderly people deserve special attention from adults in terms of
maintaining dental health, since it is advisable for them to preserve their remaining natural teeth,
which is realized through ongoing rehabilitation measures, as well as dental prosthetics. The aim is to conduct a comparative assessment of the dental health of elderly people living in urban and rural areas using the example of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. Material and methods. A dental examination of the oral cavity was performed in 324 elderly patients aged 61 to 74 years, of whom 192 people lived in St. Petersburg, and 132 people. They were residents of rural settlements in the Leningrad region. To assess dental health, a method was used that allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the state of dental health, taking into account individual oral hygiene, pathology of hard dental tissues (tooth caries), periodontal and oral mucosa, as well as the degree of loss of chewing efficiency. Results. It was found that only in elderly women who lived in the city, dental health could be characterized as reduced (8.05±1.25 units), while in men living in the city (9.97±1.63 units), as well as in rural elderly people (17.46±2.07 units). units in men and 15.02±1.94 units in women), the obtained indicators indicated their poor dental health. Conclusion. Elderly people, regardless of their place of residence (city, rural area), have problems with dental health, which can be characterized as poor. The data obtained showed that a program is needed aimed at improving the dental health of the elderly, regardless of their place of residence.