Oral health and mortality risk in the institutionalised elderly.
OBJECTIVE
Examining oral health and oral hygiene as predictors of subsequent one-year survival in the institutionalised elderly.


METHODS
It was hypothesized that oral health would be related to mortality in an institutionalised geriatric population. A 12-month prospective study of 292 elderly residing in nine geriatric institutions in Granada, Spain, was thus carried out to evaluate the association between oral health and mortality. Independent samples, T-test, chi-square test and Cox regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Sixty-three participants died during the 12-month follow-up.


RESULTS
Mortality was increased in denture users (RR = 2.18, p= 0.007) and in people suffering severe cognitive impairment (RR = 2. 24, p= 0.003). One-year mortality was 50% in participants having both these characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral hygiene was not significantly associated with mortality. Cognitive impairment and wearing dentures increased the risk of death. One-year mortality was 50% in cognitively impaired residents wearing dentures as opposed to 10% in patients without dentures and cognitive impairment.
The Gedorontology Group, Oral Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. djmarinz@unal.bt.edu.co
Dairo-Javier
DJ
Marín-Zuluaga
Leiv
L
Sandvik
José-Antonio
JA
Gil-Montoya
Tiril
T
Willumsen
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors