Prevalence and Factors Associated with Tooth Loss among Elderly people aged 60-69 years in Na Wa District, Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

This study was a cross-sectional descriptive research aimed to (1) investigate the prevalence of tooth loss among the elderly aged 60-69 in Na Wa District, Nakhon Phanom Province, and (2) examine the factors associated with tooth loss in 266 participants who were selected through stratified sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire regarding general information, attitudes, oral health care behaviors and knowledge. Dental health status were also recorded. The reliability coefficients for the knowledge test, attitude and oral health care behavior questionnaires were 0.75, 0.70, and 0.70, respectively. The consistency of dental examinations was analyzed using Kappa statistics, yielding a value of 0.83. Descriptive statistics were employed for general data analysis. To identify factors associated with tooth loss the Chi-square test was used to calculate the p-value, and to report the Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% CI from the risk estimate calculation. If the assumptions for the Chi-square test didn't follow the agreement, Fisher’s Exact Test was used instead. Comparisons of mean values for natural teeth, decay, extraction, and filling were performed using Independent t-tests.

The results revealed a prevalence of tooth loss of 22.20% among the sample. Analysis showed that elderly with periodontal pockets ≥4 mm and those with gingival inflammation were significantly associated with tooth loss (OR = 3.90, 95% CI 1.80-8.47, p-value<0.001). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between the average number of natural teeth and tooth loss. Participants with ≥20 functional natural teeth (DMFT 7.31 teeth per person) had statistically significantly lower mean DMFT scores than those with <20 functional teeth (DMFT 11.19 teeth per person), resulting in a difference of 3.88 teeth (95% CI 1.91-5.83, Mean diff = 3.88, p-value <0.001).