To investigate the extent of oral diseases in the aged, a dental examination was conducted in combination with medical examinations of elderly inhabitants of Miyako district, Okinawa pref.
Abnormal oral findings were noted in 1, 655 (29.19 %) of 5, 670 examinees. The incidence of oral disease tended to increase with age. Among the oral disease detected, oral mucosal diseases showed the highest frequency. Suspected malignant tumors were found in 0.14%, benign tumors in 4.36 %, leukoplakia in 1.29 % and diseases presumably due to insufficient oral care by dentists or patients in 8.77 % of the examinees. Evaluation of the state of disease revealed that a higher proportion of systemic diseases were under medical treatment as compared with oral diseases. Further detailed examination was indicated in 50 (0.88 %) examinees with oral diseases.
