ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence and determinants of disability among elderly people living in the community. DesignA cross‐sectional postal questionnaire survey. SettingNorthern Sydney Area Health Service. Participants1527 residents (622 men and 905 women) aged 65 years and over. Main outcome measuresSelf‐reported chronic illnesses, injuries or conditions; difficulties with activities of daily living assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ); and home modification and use of functional aids. Results“Arthritis or rheumatism” was the leading long term condition, reported by 59.5%, 55.8% and 59.7% of women and 40.5%, 47.0% and 43.6% of men in the three age groups (65‐74, 75‐84 and 85 years and over), respectively. The back, neck and knees were the most common sites of pain and stiffness. Of the respondents, 23.4% of women and 24.3% of men reported regularly taking non­ steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. Impaired performance of activities of daily living increased with age, with 53.9%, 70.7% and 89.6% of women and 37.6%, 63.6% and 73.2% of men in the respective age groups reporting at least some difficulty (HAQ score> 0). Multivariate analysis found self‐reported poor general health, loss of a limb, arthritis or rheumatism, other long term conditions restricting physical activity, impaired vision, female sex, and age to be significant predictors of disability as measured by HAQ scores. Only 13.9% of women and 9.4% of men had made changes to their home. Functional aids were used by 27.7%, 37.3% and 65.9% of women and 15.6%, 33.4% and 59.1% of men in the respective age groups. ConclusionArthritis and rheumatism were the most prevalent chronic conditions among elderly people in the community, and were significantly associated with difficulty with performing activities of daily living, after controlling for effects of age, sex and other chronic conditions.

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Access to FW was associated with caries experience in Australian adults. The magnitude of associations varied between age groups, dependent on the natural history of caries and its measurement by DMFS.

Background: The consumption of water, milk and various sugary drinks and their relationship with the caries experience of a random sample of teenagers aged 14 to 15 years living in New South Wales, Australia was investigated. Methods: Data were obtained from both clinical and questionnaire components of the NSW Teen Dental Survey, 2010. The analyses allowed for various demographic and behavioural risk factors using caries experience (DMFT >0) and mean DMFT as the key outcome variables. Results: Males were more likely than females to consume large volumes of sugary drinks. Consuming two or more glasses of sugary drinks per day led to significantly increased caries experience amongst this sample of 14 and 15 year olds. Factors found to be associated with elevated sugary drink consumption included family income, gender, and mother's education level. Conclusions: There is a strong correlation between increased caries experience of NSW teenagers and high levels of consumption of sugary drinks.

Data from the survey will be used as a baseline to measure the success of early intervention and prevention programs, for international comparisons, to provide solid evidence to support population oral health planning and for ongoing surveillance of populations of interest.