Use of dental implants among older adults of two southern Brazilian cities: A population-based cross-sectional study.

AIM: To assess the prevalence and associated factors with use of dental implants among older adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed with home dwelling older adults from the cities Cruz Alta and Veranópolis, Brazil. The main outcome was obtained by a clinical oral examination, considering those with at least one dental implant. Independent variables were collected by a structured questionnaire. Crude and adjusted analysis was performed by Poisson regression with robust variance estimation; results are presented in prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: It was included 569 participants. The overall prevalence of using at least one dental implant was 16.7%. Higher PR for the use of dental implants was observed in white individuals (PR:5.147; 95% CI:2.033-3.034), in those with at least medium income (PR:3.202; 95% CI:1.196-5.572) and in those with access to dental care in the last 12 months (RP:1.595; 95% CI:1.087-2.340). Older adults with a medium level of education (RP:0.484; 95% CI:0.240-0.978) and those that did not use dental floss (RP:0.627; 95% CI:0.240-0.978) demonstrated a significantly lower PR for use of dental implants. CONCLUSION: A substantial prevalence of use of dental implants was observed among older adults. In addition, white ones, those with a better financial situation and users of dental floss presented higher use of dental implants.

Self-reported halitosis and associated factors among older adults: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Population-based studies assessing the prevalence and associated factors of halitosis among older adults are scarce. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of self-reported halitosis and associated factors among older adults. Method: ology: Individuals aged ≥60 years were included. The main outcome was self-reported halitosis. Exposure variables were age, sex, skin color, level of education, marital status, presence of systemic health problems, use of medication, smoking exposure, alcohol exposure, access to dental care, toothbrush frequency, use of dental floss, number of present teeth, use of and need for dental prosthesis. Associations between the outcome and independent variables were performed with Poisson regression models with robust variance (p < 0.05). Results: A total of 569 older adults were included, of which 35.5% (n = 202) self-reported halitosis. In the final multivariate model, higher age (prevalence ratio [PR]:0.967; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]:0.946-0.988) and level of education (PR:0.673; 95%CI:0.469-0.967 and PR:0.635; 95%CI:0.414-0.973 for medium and high level of education, respectively, compared to low level) were associated with halitosis. Conversely, no access to dental care (PR:1.322; 95%CI:1.044-1.676) and a higher number of teeth present (PR:1.023; 95%CI:1.009-1.037) were associated with a higher occurrence of self-reported halitosis. Conclusion: A high prevalence of self-reported halitosis was detected among older adults and was associated with lower age, lower level of education, no access to the dentist and higher number of teeth present.