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Abstract
A sociodental investigation was carried out among 254 elderly people living at home
in Nottinghamshire. The aim of the inquiry was to ascertain whether this group of
people were handicapped by their dental conditions. The dental status of the sample
was generally poor. 74% were edentulous and the condition of the full dentures worn
by many of the subjects was unsatisfactory. A high proportion (59%) of the subjects
had lesions of the oral mucosa. Many members of the sample were orally handicapped,
either functionally or socially. 32% complained of oral pain and 30% claimed to have
difficulty chewing. Also, subjects were embarrassed by the appearance of their teeth
and by their dentures dropping during social contact. The perception of handicap,
however, was not strongly related to dental status.