ArticleFrontiers in public health2024
A rural teledentistry care experience: a geriatric approach to assessing oral health status and treatment needs in older adults from a Mapuche community in Chile.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Dental caries experience in Indigenous children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis assessing worldwide disparities and time trends (1968-2024).Clinical oral investigations · 2026Pooled it
- Social Determinants and Oral Health Among Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Older Adults in La Araucanía, Chile: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Natural Teeth Present and Quality of Life in Older Adults from Indigenous Communities in the Peruvian Amazon: A Cross-Sectional Study.Oral health & preventive dentistry · 2026Observational
- The association of oral health status and oral health-related quality of life with malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty in older adults.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Observational
- mHealth for Oral Care in Aging: A Narrative Review of Mobile Applications for Older Adults and Caregivers.Dentistry journal · 2026Review
- Oral health and dental care needs among rural older adults in remote Southern Chile.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Utilising Teledentistry for Interdisciplinary Oral Assessment in Older Patients: An International Cross-Sectional Survey.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Teledentistry for Homebound and Institutionalized Older Adults: A Rapid Review for Its Potential Use in Primary Healthcare.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Mediating role of malnutrition in the associations between oral frailty, food insecurity, and depression among rural older adults: an exploratory model-based analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Social determinants of oral health in an indigenous community of Chile: preliminary data of a mixed qualitative and quantitative study.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Innovations on the horizon: teledentistry, artificial intelligence, and hybrid models to improve oral health for vulnerable communities.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Review
- A teledentistry care model for older populations in remote settings in Chile using satellite communication technology.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Limited attention has been given to oral health challenges faced by older Indigenous populations, especially in rural settings, where disparities exist. This study aims to assess oral health in a rural Mapuche community in southern Chile, utilizing geriatric technology support, and exploring the connection between geriatric health and oral well-being to fill a gap in this context. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 76 independent older adults from a rural Mapuche community who required dental care. Assessments were in a remote care setting gathering extensive data including comprehensive geriatric assessments, medical and dental conditions using a geriatric teledentistry platform (TEGO Results: The sample comprised individuals with limited formal education and a high degree of vulnerability. Geriatric assessments unveiled cognitive deterioration, frailty, depression risk, and multimorbidity. A distribution of the DMFT index, number of remaining teeth, number of occluding pairs, number of teeth with restorative needs and other relevant clinical findings was conducted based on sociodemographic, and medical-geriatric-dental characteristics, and additionally, a Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis of Dentition Variables in Relation to Geriatric Assessments was performed. The dental burden was substantial, with an average DMFT index of 25.96 (SD 4.38), high prevalence of non-functional dentition (89.3%), periodontal disease (83%), xerostomia (63.2%) and oral mucosal lesions (31.5%). Age, lower education, depression, daily medication number and sugary consumption frequency were associated with a decreased average number of teeth ( Conclusion: This study uncovers a substantial dental burden and intricate medical-geriatric conditions interlinked among Indigenous older adults in a rural Chilean Mapuche community. The implementation of a geriatric technological ecosystem in the community enabled the resolution of less complex oral health issues and facilitated remote consultations with specialists, reducing the necessity for travel to health centers. This underscores the need for innovative dental public health initiatives to address health disparities and improve the overall well-being of older Indigenous adults.
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