Epidemiology of oral health conditions in older people

Abstract

The main conditions of interest when considering the epidemiology of oral diseases among older people are tooth loss, dental caries, periodontitis, dry mouth and oral pre-cancer/cancer, along with oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This article presents an overview of what is known about the epidemiology of each of the main conditions of interest among older populations.

Keywords: dental caries; dry mouth; epidemiology; older people; oral mucosa; periodontal diseases; tooth loss; xerostomia.