Dementia and oral health among subjects aged 75 years or older

作者：Syrjala Anna Maija Hannele^*; Ylostalo Pekka; Ruoppi Piia; Komulainen Kaija; Hartikainen Sirpa; Sulkava Raimo; Knuuttila Matti

来源：Gerodontology, 2012, 29(1): 36-42.

DOI：10.1111/j.1741-2358.2010.00396.x

• oral health
• dementia
• elderly people

Objective: To study the association between diagnosed dementia and oral health, focusing on the type of dementia, among an elderly population aged 75 years or older. Background: Elderly people with dementia are at risk from oral diseases, but to date, only a few studies have analysed the association between type of dementia and oral health, and their results are inconclusive. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study is based on the Geriatric multi-disciplinary strategy (Gems) study that included 76 demented and 278 non-demented subjects. The data were collected by means of an interview and an oral clinical examination. The type of dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. Poisson%26apos;s and logistic regression models were used to determine relative risks (RR), odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence limits (CI). Results: Our results showed that patients with Alzheimer%26apos;s disease and those with other types of dementia had an increased likelihood of having carious teeth, teeth with deep periodontal pockets, and poor oral and denture hygiene, compared with non-demented persons. The results showed that the type of dementia does not seem to be an essential determinant of oral health. Conclusions: Among the elderly aged 75 years or older, patients with Alzheimer%26apos;s disease or other types of dementia are at increased risk of poor oral health and poor oral hygiene.

• 出版日期2012-3