| dc.description.abstract | Introduction
High levels of inadequate oral healthcare among the ageing population has been particularly associated with increase in tooth loss, dental caries experiences, and the prevalence rate of periodontal disease, xerostomia and oral pre-cancer/cancer, therefore this study sought to establish influencers of the uptake of oral disease preventive services among the elderly population of Nyenga sub-county, Buikwe district during the period of June through October 2015.
Methods
A descriptive cross sectional survey study design was used. This was preferred to obtain diverse information about the factors that contributed to uptake oral disease prevention services among the elderly using interviewer administered questionnaires and a key informant interview. 252 participants were purposively enrolled in the study.
Results
Multivariate analysis revealed that uptake of oral prevention services among the elderly in Nsenga County was predicted by source of income (p=0.006, CI- 95%, OR 0.750), affordability of health services (p=0.002, CI- 95%,OR 4.612), and the health workers attitude to the patients (p=0.000, CI- 95%, OR 6.582), predict the uptake of oral prevention measures.
However the factors only predicted 30.4% of the likelihood for uptake of oral preventative measures (Negelkerke R-square= 0.304).
Conclusions and Recommendations.
In order to improve oral health among the elderly persons, Oral health promotion to raise awareness of oral health and dental treatment services should be accessible to the elderly population. Oral health promotion should be encouraged by other health care professionals and caregivers. Furthermore, community action, various community initiatives aimed at empowering the community members and fostering participation in health promotion programmes should be adopted, these will increase the awareness among the elderly on oral prevention measures and foster participation in these programs. | en_US |
