The impact of oral rehabilitation with implants in nutrition and quality of life: A questionnaire-based survey on self-perception.

BACKGROUND: The association between tooth loss and masticatory problems may influence on food choices and consequently impact nutrition and quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate impact of oral rehabilitation with implants in nutrition and quality of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed. The Questionnaire for Healthy Habits (QHH) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) tools were used to assess nutrition and oral health status, respectively. Oral implants were placed and the adjacent the bone was radiographically assessed. The mean outcomes of the QHH between pre- and post-rehabilitation periods were assessed with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The OHIP-14 was assessed using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The implant surfaces showed a significant bone loss after six and 24 months of rehabilitation (p<0.001). There was no significant change in the masticatory pattern of patients (p>0.05). Nevertheless, the patients perceived a significant reduction in discomfort (p<0.02) when eating, after 24 months of the rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the hypothesis that oral rehabilitation with implants may not trigger direct improvement in nutrition. However, it plays an especial role improving quality of life. Key words:Dentistry, nutrition, oral implants, quality of life.

Relationship between dentition, anthropometric measurements, and metabolic syndrome in the elderly / Relação entre dentição, medidas antropométricas e síndrome metabólica em idosos

Abstract Introduction Tooth loss is a health disorder of the elderly population that may lead to masticatory deficiency and nutritional risks, inducing the biochemical changes of metabolic syndrome (MS). Objective To verify the relationship among number of teeth, anthropometric measurements, and MS in a group of elderly people. Material and method The study was developed in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, and it was divided into three phases. The first phase collected information from the database of all project participants and the second one collected sociodemographic, anthropometric, and biochemical data. The third phase was divided into two other phases: first, oral health interviews were applied to the elderly (281 patients evaluated by telephone and 23 visited at home) and second, 45 patients were randomly selected and invited to validate the data obtained by telephone with oral clinical examinations performed by a trained dental surgeon. The sample consisted of 304 individuals. The data collected were tabulated and analyzed using statistical tests. Result Elderly women with severe tooth loss present a significantly higher risk of developing MS. Thus, the maintenance of natural teeth in the elderly is a protective factor for the syndrome. Conclusion The findings support the hypothesis that the oral health of individuals, expressed by the number of teeth, may compromise and increase the risk of MS in the elderly.

Resumo Introdução A perda dentária é um distúrbio de saúde dos idosos que pode levar à deficiência mastigatória e riscos nutricionais, induzindo alterações bioquímicas da síndrome metabólica (SM). Objetivo Verificar a relação entre número de dentes, medidas antropométricas e SM em um grupo de idosos. Material e método O estudo foi desenvolvido na cidade de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, e foi dividido em três fases. A primeira fase coletou informações do banco de dados de todos os participantes do projeto e a segunda coletou dados sociodemográficos, antropométricos e bioquímicos. A terceira fase foi dividida em duas outras fases: primeiro foram aplicadas entrevistas de saúde bucal aos idosos (281 pacientes avaliados por ligações telefônicas e 23 atendidos em domicílio) e, segundo, 45 pacientes foram selecionados aleatoriamente e convidados a validar os dados obtidos por telefone com exames clínicos orais. A amostra foi composta por 304 indivíduos. Os dados coletados foram tabulados e analisados ​​por meio de testes estatísticos. Resultado Mulheres idosas com perda dentária severa apresentam um risco significativamente maior de desenvolver SM. Assim, a manutenção dos dentes naturais nos idosos é um fator protetor para a síndrome. Conclusão Os achados reforçam a hipótese de que a saúde bucal dos indivíduos, expressa pelo número de dentes, pode comprometer e aumentar o risco de SM em idosos.