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The research was designed to understand the dental health status of the elderly, to find dental health related problems and their solutions, and finally to contribute to the health and the happiness of the elderly. To study dental disorders and dental health status of the elderly, five researchers conducted individual interviews on 135 senior citizens aged 60 and over. The research lasted for two months from October to December 2002. Data collected through the research were analyzed through coding arrangement of SPSS program. To verify the significance of simple requency, average value, and statistics, we used such statistical method as χ² -test. The significant results of the research are summarized as follows: l. As for the gender ratio, 34.8 percent of the respondents were male and the remaining 65.2 percent female. The age group with the most respondents was between 70 and 79 years at 44.4 percent. As for educational level, those with no education accounted for 20.7percent and those who graduated only from elementary schools 32.6 percent, which showed that the number of people with lower education was high. With regard to the income level, middle class took up the largest proportion(89.6 percent). When it comes to the dental diseases, 32.6 percent were suffering from acute diseases while 51.9 percent chronic diseases. 2. When we looked at the types of the dental disorders, bleeding during tooth brushing accounted for 36.3 percent, difficulties in eating cold or hot food 65.2 percent, gum swelling 48.9 percent. and bad smell 68.9 percent. With regard to toothache, 46.7 percent were found to have suffered from toothache. 48.1 percent from difficulties in taking food due to toothache, and 59.2 percent from disruptions in their normal lives due to dental disease. The data showed that bad smell accounted for the largest proportion in terms of the dental disease for the elderly aged 60 and over, while toothache the smallest proportion. When we looked at the factors affecting the dental health, bleeding during tooth brushing was found less frequent with older people. Difficulties in eating cold or hot food were more common with females than with males. Gum swelling appeared less frequent as the age increased. Bad smell was more frequently found among those with lower education. Concerning toothache, it decreased with age. Difficulties in taking food decreased with age as well. 3. When it came to how to manage their dental health, 89.6 percent of the elderly were proven to brush their teeth for less than three minutes. Concerning the way of tooth brushing, scrub method took up the largest proportion at 66.7 percent, which meant that there were a lot of problems related with tooth brushing. Since 92.6 percent of the respondents were found not to have taken regular dental check-ups, it is necessary to run a continuous campaign to promote the importance of regular dental check-ups for a preventative purpose. When they were asked about where to get information about dental health management, they admitted that their family is the most influential factor at 37.5
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