Prosthodontics Status and Treatment Needs among the Elderly in the Republic of Macedonia

BACKGROUND: Oral health care management among the elderly differs from the rest of the population, due to some specific physiological changes and general health status related to age. We know very little about the oral health in elderly in the Republic of Macedonia, because there are only a few articles published about dental health status and edentulism of this population. AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the prosthodontic status of older adults over 65 years in the Republic of Macedonia, about their socio-economic status and individual factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 8 regions, in rural and urban areas of Macedonia and a representative sample of 432 people (age > 65 years) was examined. Statistical analyses of the data were made by chi-square tests and the corresponding C-coefficient. RESULTS: Only 6% of all participants had not any prosthetic appliance, 9.5% had more than one bridge, 28.7% of examinees had partial dentures, both bridge(s) and partial denture(s) had 10.7% participants, and 45.1% of examinees were toothless. There was a significant difference between patients who visited the dentist more than once a year and those who did not (χ(2) = 14.2; df = 4, p < 0.01). From all of the participants, 40.3% used public dental care organisations. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high prevalence of edentulousness among older adults over 65 years in Macedonia. The study confirmed the necessity for establishing healthcare educational programs for the dental treatment of elderly in Macedonia.