Periodontal health and oral hygiene practice of elderly Saudis living at Riyadh Nursing Home

Eighty-three Saudi elderly subjects (51 men and 32 women) living at Riyadh Nursing Home were interviewed regarding their oral hygiene practices, and were examined to assess their periodontal health status using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). Results showed that oral hygiene was practiced by 65% of the subjects and was performed more frequently by women. Less than 10% of the subjects had visited a dentist in the last three months, and only 24% perceived a need for periodontal treatment. Only 8.4% of the subjects had healthy periodontium. Calculus was the most prevalent finding among the subjects (48.2%), and was significantly more prevalent in men. Bleeding on probing and periodontal pockets was recorded in 24.1% and 19.3% of the subjects, respectively, with no statistically significant difference between men and women. In conclusion, the periodontal health status of elderly Saudi living at Riyadh Nursing Home is poor and their oral hygiene practices are inadequate. This category of the elderly needs a periodontal health promotion program in order to provide oral health necessary to improve their quality of life.