Nutrition, general health status and oral health status in hospitalised elders.
Biological malnutrition was assessed and correlated with salivary flow rates and oral health in 99 elderly, hospitalised non-psychiatric patients. The indicators of protein malnutrition used were arm circumference and serum albumin level and the indicators of energy malnutrition the body mass-index and the triceps skin-fold thickness. Unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates were measured according to Sreebny et al. Of the patients, 40% showed severely and 46% moderately reduced serum albumin levels and the anthropometric measurements indicated malnutrition in about 50%. Unstimulated hyposialia (< or = 0.1 ml/min) and stimulated hyposialia (< or = 0.5 ml/min) were observed in 17% and 26.5%, respectively. Significant associations (P < or = 0.05) were found between stimulated/unstimulated hyposialia and biological malnutrition. There was a negative relationship between the number of masticatory movements until swallowing a standard biscuit and skin fold thickness (P < or = 0.05). Current weight loss and biological malnutrition were related to poor appetite (P < or = 0.05). The study has confirmed poor general and oral health status as well as protein-energy malnutrition among elderly hospitalised patients. This situation was associated with loss of appetite, reduced salivary flow rates and a certain impairment of masticatory function which could jeopardise the reversibility of malnutrition and lead to increased morbidity and mortality.
Dormenval
V
V
Division of Gerodontology and Removable Prosthodontics, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Budtz-Jørgensen
E
E
Mojon
P
P
Bruyère
A
A
Rapin
C H
CH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000209:etiology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D012636:Secretory Rate; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000150:complications*
D012709:Serum Albumin