Dental treatment demands, needs and utilization among geriatric patients: A tertiary health care-based retrospective study

Aim: The purpose of the study was to determine the various complaints for which older patients seek dental treatment and to identify the reason for the presenting chief complaint. Other oral health issues as well as the utilization of comprehensive oral health also to be evaluated. Materials and Method: The hospital records of the newly registered elderly patients in a dental school in Mangalore, India were accessed to obtain data relating to the wants, needs, and utilization of services of older patients. Results: The most frequent complaint with which older patients visited the dental hospital was pain (31.1%). When the data was analysed, it was observed that there was no association between utilization and the nature of the complaint. Other than the chief complaint, 49.4% patients were found to have prosthetic requirements as their normative need. Conclusions: Pain was the most common complaint with which elders reported to the dental hospital. However, there was no significant difference in the utilization patterns in the pain and non-pain category. In addition, the patient’s normative needs were far ahead of their expressed needs indicating their neglect towards oral health and emphasizes the requirement for regular dental check-up among the older individuals. Clinical significance: There is a neglect of oral health among elderly individuals; therefore it is important to organize and plan oral health services for geriatric patients.