Oral hygiene practice, status, and periodontitis among dental outpatient elderly in tertiary hospitals: a cross-sectional study in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract Background Oral health significantly affects older people’s quality of life, overall health, and well-being. The study aimed to assess oral hygiene practice, status, and periodontitis among elderly patients. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly patients attending dental outpatient departments of tertiary hospitals in Dhaka city from January to December 2022. Data from two hundred and twenty-seven elderly patients were collected by face-to-face interview through a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire and oral examination using the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S), and Community Periodontal Index component of CPITN. Statistics were presented in frequency, mean, percentage, chi-square test, fisher’s exact test, and binary logistic regression. Results Among 227 elderly patients, the mean (± SD) age was 55.75 (±8.20) years; 51% were female, and 49% were male. Among respondents, 70.48% cleaned their teeth regularly, 61.23% cleaned their teeth once daily, 70.5% used toothbrushes and toothpaste for cleaning their teeth, and only 2.2% used interdental aids. More than half of the respondents, 54%, had poor oral hygiene status, and 55.5% had periodontitis. A significant association existed between periodontitis, age, gender, educational status, occupation, and monthly family income. Older adults aged 66 years and above were 7.2 times more likely to have periodontitis (OR adj : 12.637, 95% CI: 3.371-47.371, p < 0.0001). Respondents who engaged in labour work were more likely to have periodontitis than the service holders (OR adj :5.855, 95% CI: .594-57.75, p < 0.130). Periodontitis was significantly associated with oral hygiene practices and oral hygiene status. Elderly who did not clean their teeth regularly were roughly 15 times more likely to develop periodontitis (OR adj : 9.474, 95% CI: 3.636- 24.689, p < 0.0001). Older adults who did not use toothpaste and toothbrush were 5.1 times more likely to develop periodontitis (OR adj : 3.792, 95% CI: 1.758- 8.178, p < 0.001). Conclusion More than half of the elderly individuals in the study had periodontitis and poor oral hygiene. The research found that the increase in periodontitis was linked to respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics and oral hygiene practices. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene and getting regular dental checkups for older adults.