ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: With the growing elderly population, there is an increasing interest in the oral and general health of elderly individuals. Loss of teeth is representative of oral disease in elderly individuals and is associated with medical and dental problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the number of remaining functional teeth and cognitive function. METHODS: A total of 456 (111 public health centers, 261 senior centers, 84 sanatoriums) older adults (aged ≥65 years) residing in Korea were included. A mental health nurse examined the cognitive function using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. A dentist examined the number of functional teeth and denture status through an oral examination, while a dental hygienist surveyed the subjective masticatory level using a questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 79.5 years (range 65–97 years), and 76.1% of them were women. Participants with a small number of functional teeth had lower cognitive function. In these participants, the odds ratio with poor cognitive function was 2.30 times higher; it was 2.74 times higher after adjusting for age, sex, residence, education, and denture use, and was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that the number of functional teeth was associated with cognitive function in the Korean elderly population.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Cognition , Dental Hygienists , Dentists , Dentures , Diagnosis, Oral , Education , Korea , Mental Health , Odds Ratio , Public Health , Senior Centers , ToothABSTRACT
Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de dentición funcional (DF) y su distribución a través de diversas variables clínicas, sociodemográficas y socioeconómicas de una muestra de ancianos mexicanos. Material y métodos En un estudio transversal se incluyeron 139 adultos de 60 años y más de 2 asilos y un club de ancianos de la ciudad de Pachuca, Hidalgo, México. La variable dependiente fue la dentición funcional; operacionalmente categorizada como: 0 = sujetos con menos de 21 dientes presentes en la boca y 1 = sujetos con 21 o más dientes en la boca, excluyendo prótesis. Las variables sociodemográficas, socioeconómicas y conductuales se recogieron a través de un cuestionario. Las variables clínicas fueron recabadas por un examinador capacitado y estandarizado. El análisis se realizó utilizando pruebas no paramétricas en Stata. Resultados El promedio de edad fue de 79,06 +/- 9,78. La mayoría de los sujetos incluidos fueron mujeres (69,1 por ciento). La prevalencia de dentición funcional fue de 10,1 por ciento. En el análisis bivariado observamos lo siguiente: los sujetos con DF tuvieron menor edad (p < 0,05); entre las mujeres se observó mayor prevalencia de DF (p < 0,05); las personas con pareja presentaron más alto porcentaje de DF (p < 0,05); la prevalencia de DF fue diferente a través de los tipos de asilamiento (p < 0,05). Conclusiones Los datos sugieren una baja prevalencia de dentición funcional en esta muestra de adultos mayores. Este estudio demuestra que la DF varía en función de variables sociodemográficas.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of functional teeth (FT) and their distribution using clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic variables in a sample of Mexican elderly. Material and methods This cross-sectional study of 139 adults aged 60 years and older was conducted in two nursing homes and one club in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. The dependent variable was FT, and participants were operationally categorised as 0 (having less than 21 teeth) or 1 (having 21 or more teeth). Those categorised as 1 comprised the FT group. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and behavioural variables were collected using a questionnaire. Clinical variables were collected by a trained examiner using a standardised examination. Analysis was performed using non-parametric tests in Stata. Results The mean age was 79.06 +/- 9.78 years. Most (69.1 percent) of the participants were women. The prevalence of FT was 10.1 percent. In the bivariate analysis, it was observed that the FT group was younger (p < .05), women displayed a greater prevalence of FT than men (p < .05), as did those involved in a relationship compared to being single (p < .05), and FT prevalence differed by type of isolation (p < .05). Conclusions The prevalence of FT is low among nursing home residents and club members, and it varies with age, sex, relationship status, and type of isolation.