Oral Health in Advanced Age: Findings from LiLACS NZ

Published online: 
30 June 2014
Publication Cover

Oral Health in Advanced Age: Findings from LiLACS NZ presents key findings about the oral health of Māori (aged 80 to 90 years) and non-Māori (aged 85 years).

The findings are from a population-based sample of people in advanced age living in the Bay of Plenty, who are taking part in a longitudinal study of advanced ageing, called Life and Living in Advanced Age: a Cohort Study in New Zealand – Te Puā waitanga O Ngā Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu (LiLACS NZ).

The report is available on the LiLACS NZ publications website

Overview of key findings

  • Three-quarters (76%) of people of advanced age wore full or partial dentures. Significantly, more women than men wore dentures.
  • Maori living in socioeconomically deprived areas were less likely to wear dentures than non-Māori living in socioeconomically deprived areas.
  • 24% of people of advanced age reported having difficulty chewing; the most common reasons were poorly fitting dentures and missing teeth.
  • Less than a third of people of advanced age had visited a dentist in the previous 12 months. Māori were significantly less likely to have visited a dentist (18%) than non-Māori (34%). People without dentures were more likely to have visited the dentist than those with dentures in the previous 12 months.

Publishing information

  • Date of publication:
    30 June 2014
  • Citation:
    Kerse N, LiLACS NZ. 2014. Oral Health in Advanced Age: Findings from LiLACS NZ. Auckland: School of Population Health, The University of Auckland.
  • Ordering information:
    Only soft copy available to download
  • Copyright status:

    Third-party content. Please check the document or email the Web Manager to find out how to obtain permission to re-use content.

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