Tooth loss and caries prevalence in very old Swedish people: the relationship to cognitive function and functional ability.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse whether cognitive function and functional ability are related to oral health among community-dwelling older people over the age of 80 years.


BACKGROUND
This cross-sectional study is based on the Kungsholmen Elders Oral Health Survey (KEOHS). The study included oral examinations carried out in two local clinics by standardised examiners and interviews using structured questionnaires.


METHODS
Altogether 159 individuals were included in this study. Coronal caries and root caries were assessed using the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) diagnostic criteria. Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) index and functional ability was assessed by a global measure of self-reported changes.


RESULTS
Older adults with a low MMSE score (< or = 23) tended to have a higher risk of coronal caries than those with higher scores. Participants with mild cognitive decline (MMSE = 24-26) and with a decrease in functional ability had a significantly higher risk of root caries. These associations changed little when adjusted by the covariates. In addition, people with a low MMSE (0-23) had a four times higher risk of not using dental services regularly. This result was unchanged after adjusting for the variables studied.


CONCLUSIONS
This study revealed associations between the cognitive and functional status of the individual and aspects of oral health, that may contribute to a deeper understanding of the background of oral health status in older adults.
Avlund
Kirsten
K
Department of Social Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. k.avlund@socmed.ku.dk
Holm-Pedersen
Poul
P
Morse
Douglas E
DE
Viitanen
Matti
M
Winblad
Bengt
B
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D017213:Root Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology*