Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Evaluation of mastication in elderly people

Claudia Florina Andreescu, Alexandru Monea, Doina Lucia Ghergic

Older people are an important population group because there is a greater percentage of the population
surviving into old age. The oral health of older people is changing currently. Edentulism was
a common feature of old age, 30 to 40 years ago. This is no longer the case, as increasing numbers
of elderly people retain their natural teeth.
The aim of this study is to assess the mastication in a group of institutionalized elderly people of
Constanta city. 100 people have been examined and the number of remaining teeth as well as the
presence of prosthetic treatment has been registered, for an objective evaluation of mastication function.
All the subjects have been questioned about the self-evaluation of mastication. The results
showed a small number of remaining teeth (13.04) and numerous cases without prosthetic treatment
or with old and/or incomplete prosthetic treatment, which lead to mastication difficulties and problems
in biting and chewing of solid food.