KIẾN THỨC, THỰC HÀNH TRONG CHĂM SÓC RĂNG MIỆNG VÀ MỐI LIÊN QUAN VỚI CÁC BỆNH LÝ RĂNG MIỆNG Ở NGƯỜI BỆNH CAO TUỔI TẠI BỆNH VIỆN ĐẠI HỌC Y DƯỢC THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH NĂM 2022

Abstract

Background: Oral diseases are one of the community health issues due to high prevalence rates and their occurrence at any age. In the elderly population, oral diseases significantly impact their quality of life, restrict daily functions, and incur substantial treatment costs, unfortunately often neglected. One of the risk factors for oral diseases, alongside aging, is knowledge and practice in oral care. Objectives: 1) Investigate the knowledge and practice of oral care among elderly patients. 2) Investigate the common oral diseases among elderly patients. 3) Determine the association between knowledge, practice, attitudes towards oral care, and prevalent oral diseases among elderly patients at Ho Chi Minh city University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2022 to December 2022 at the Maxillofacial and Dental Surgery Department, Ho Chi Minh city University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, conducted on 296 patients. Data regarding knowledge and practice of oral care were collected through patient interviews, while personal information and dental disease data were obtained from medical records. Results: Elderly patients receiving treatment have relatively low levels of knowledge and skills in oral care, with rates of 16.6% and 19.3% respectively. Additionally, the prevalence of dental diseases among these patients is very high, including dental caries and tooth loss (both accounting for 82.4% of cases), followed by periodontal disease at 75%. Women have a lower rate of good oral care knowledge compared to men (OR=0,24; 95%CI: 0,11-0,54; p=0,001). Elderly individuals living with a spouse have been found to have better knowledge of oral care compared to those who are single or widowed (OR=2.36; 95%CI: 1.26-4.41, p=0,001). Urban patients have a 9.07 times higher likelihood of having good knowledge about oral care compared to rural patients (95%CI: 2.74-29.97). Elderly patients with dental conditions such as dental caries, tooth loss, or periodontitis have a lower rate of good knowledge about oral care compared to those without these conditions, with respective rates of 0,08, 0,09, and 0,09 times (p<0,001). Elderly patients with dental conditions such as dental caries, tooth loss, or periodontitis have a lower rate of good oral care practices compared to those without these conditions, with respective rates of 0,16, 0,15, and 0,12 times (p<0.001). Conclusions: The knowledge and practice of oral care among elderly patients are generally low, resulting in a high prevalence of oral diseases.