JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Oral health is an integral component of overall health and quality of life across the life course. Incarcerated populations consistently demonstrate poorer oral health status than the general community, a disparity driven by pre-existing social disadvantage—encompassing lower educational attainment, socioeconomic deprivation, and limited healthcare access—further compounded by the prison environment itself. Concurrently, correctional facilities worldwide are experiencing demographic ageing, with growing numbers of older adults in custody who face heightened vulnerability to chronic disease and functional decline. Age-related oral deterioration, including periodontal disease and dental hard tissue loss, is increasingly recognized as both a marker and contributor to systemic morbidity. Despite this, population-level data on oral disease burden among elderly prisoners remain scarce, particularly in Asian contexts. Using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of oral cavity, salivary gland, and jaw diseases among elderly prison inmates and to examine gender-specific differences in disease distribution.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to calculate the prevalence of oral diseases among elderly prisoners in Taiwanese prisons by gender.

Methods:

We used a sample of 2,215 people from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database (NHIRD). Measured using the clinical version of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9-CM). This study performed a χ2 test statistical analysis to evaluate differences in the percentage of oral cavity, salivary gland, and jaw bone diseases between sex and age groups.

Results:

The prevalence rate of oral diseases of Taiwanese elderly prisoners was 19.05%, which was higher than the average person. The prevalence of oral diseases among female elderly prisoners is higher than that among male prisoners (32.39% vs. 18.14%, p<0.001). Among all cases of diagnosed oral diseases, the top three diseases were gum and periodontal diseases accounted for 8.71%, dental hard tissue diseases accounted for 7.45%, and oral soft tissue diseases other than specific lesions of the gums and tongue accounted for 3.02%, respectively.

Conclusions:

Oral disease is common among Taiwanese elderly prisoners. Therefore, oral diseases require early prevention and appropriate treatment. It is also necessary to design oral disease health care products based on the prevalence of oral diseases differs between male and female elderly prisoners.