AIM: To characterize the oral health conditions of elderly people living in the city of Manaus, AM, according to sex. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted involving 667 subjects, 65-74 years of age, randomly selected. Demographic and socioeconomic data were obtained through interviews. Oral measures were performed for caries, edentulism, use and need of prosthesis, following WHO criteria. RESULTS: The study comprised 206 men and 461 women, mean age of 69.2 years, and 71.8% self-reported as brown skin color. On average they had 4.6 years of schooling and family income of $ 916.92. The DMF-T mean was 29.0+4.3 and the "missing" component was the most common (95%). The mean number of teeth per individual was 4.1±5.7 and the prevalence of edentulism was 52.2%. Only 3% of the elderly had 20 or more teeth. The use of upper and lower total prostheses was 79.2% and 37.1%, respectively. The need for total prosthesis was 42.6% for the upper arch and 34.7% for the lower arch. Elderly men presented lower DMF-T, more teeth and less edentulism compared to women. The use of upper and lower total prosthesis was higher in the elderly women and the need of upper and lower unitary and partial denture was higher in elderly men. CONCLUSION: Oral health conditions of the elderly in Manaus revealed a high occurrence of tooth loss, mainly among women. The use and need for total prosthesis were high and different according to sex.
Oral health; Elderly; Dental caries
