Conocimientos, creencias y conductas en salud oral en adultos mayores de nivel socioeconómico bajo, Zona norte de Santiago

Abstract

The Ministry of Health has decided to create a modality of specific comprehensive care for the elderly, with a strong health education component. To plan educational programs it is necessary to know the beliefs, knowledge, values and attitudes of the users. To determine them, we used 26 of the 60 items of a questionnaire applied to a sample of 228 aged adults, in 7 clinics of the North area of the Metropolitan Region. 25.99c of the sample were completely toothless and the other had a median of ten teeth. The statistical test of Ji square was used with p < 0.05, Toi- sex, age and educational level. It was observed that although the aged believe in the possibility oi conserving at least part of their teeth, caries formation is unavoidable. Most of the interviewees ignore the cause of caries formation and the behaviors that they know and practice to avoid that pathology are few. The self-examination that many declare they carry out doesn’t detect most of the cavities that they present. The lack of know ledge and of perception of the problem of periodontal health is notorious. Periodic control with the dentist is low, and the visit to the dentist is deferred unti1 great pain is experienced. The origin of such knowledge comes mainly y from the family. It is concluded that education in oral health for the elderly is an urgent necessity and shout d be preceded by training of the professionals that will impart it, as much in the contents as in the methodology to use.