Oral Health Status among Older Adults Attending Public Clinics in Khartoum State, Sudan: a cross-sectional study

Background As the number of older adults is growing worldwide, understanding the extension of the oral health problems of the older population is important for the determination of treatment needs and for future planning of dental services. This study assessed the oral health status and prosthetic needs among a group of older adults living in Khartoum State, Sudan. Methods A cross sectional study among individuals ≥ 60 years attending Health Care Centers. The clinical examination was based on the WHO oral health examination form for adults, 2013, which includes dentition status, periodontal conditions, oral mucosal lesions, tooth wear, prosthetic status and prosthetic needs. Results 249 older adults participated in the study, 64.3% were males and the mean age was 68.4 years (SD ± 6.7). The mean (DMFT) was 15.9 (SD ± 9.1), with 85.3%, 94.8%, and 19.3% of the participants had decayed, missed or filled teeth, respectively. Periodontal pockets were present in 41.9% of the participants and attachment loss was in 84.2%. Only 14.9% had mucosal lesions while 46.2% showed signs of tooth wear. Although only 5.2% were completely edentulous, 93.2% of the participants need at least one unit prosthesis while only 10% had removable dentures. The main predicting factors of poor oral health were being female, poor oral hygiene practices, frequency and reason of dental visits, and poor perceived poor oral health. Conclusion Despite the low level of edentulism, the oral health of older adults of the studied Sudanese population was poor. They showed high prevalence and severity of missed and decayed teeth, periodontal disease and high prosthetic treatment needs.