Abstract: PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate oral health status of the elderly in Shanghai using Eichner index dental classification system, and to discuss the relations between tooth loss, prosthodontic treatment and the impact on oral health-related quality of life(OHRQoL). METHODS: A total of 747 subjects aging 65-74 years old were selected by multistage stratified cluster sampling method. Clinical examination and questionnaires of the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China were used for the study, and data of tooth loss, OHRQoL were analyzed using non-parametric test and binary logistic regression with SPSS 19.0 software package. RESULTS: 79.1% of the subjects had problem of missing teeth, while 35% of them never received any kind of dental prosthesis. Grouping by the Eichner index, only A1, A2 and C3 group were scored above the average, while group B had the lowest general oral health assessment index(GOHAI) score. The scores of GOHAI were significantly correlated to dental prosthodontic treatment, overall health status and Eichner index(P<0.05). Except for group C2 due to the small sample size, the scores of GOHAI in most of the untreated subjects were lower than those who had prosthesis. Among the subjects with missing teeth but without prosthesis, 81.2% of the subjects thought they had no problem with their teeth or the problem did not matter. CONCLUSIONS: Tooth loss is a serious problem among the elderly in Shanghai, but only a few of them have received dental prosthodontic treatment. The OHRQoL of the elderly is related to tooth loss, dental prosthodontic treatment and overall health. Oral health education should be strengthened for the elderly people with missing teeth, to replace their missing teeth timely and improve their quality of life.

Key words: Elderly people, Tooth loss, Eichner index, Dental prosthodontic treatment, GOHAI