title: Dental caries in older adults in the last year of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine dental caries severity (measured by number of carious teeth) in older adults in the last year of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study based on dental records.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based geriatric dental clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand two hundred sixteen individuals aged 65 and older, including 168 individuals in the last year of life (e.g., individuals died within 1 year after their new-patient examinations).
  
  
  METHODS
  Information on socioeconomic, medical history, medication, functional status, and oral health measures, including number of carious teeth, was abstracted from dental records. End-of-life status was determined using the National Death Index. Propensities of death were calculated using a logistic regression and then adjusted together with mobility and oral care function in the multivariable regression model to examine the effect of end-of-life status on dental caries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caries severity differed in end-of-life participants with different oral care function. Of those needing help with oral care, end-of-life participants had only a slightly higher and nonstatistically significant risk (7.5 vs 6.1, adjusted incidence density ratio (IDR) = 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.85-1.48) of having more carious teeth than those not in the last year of life. On the other hand, caries severity was lower in end-of-life participants without impaired oral care function (IDR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.30-0.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral care function modifies the association between caries severity and end-of-life status. Individuals who could maintain oral hygiene independently had a low level of caries at the end of life, however, dental caries had increased before functionally dependent individuals entered their last year of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Ecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. xi_chen@dentistry.unc.edu
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Preisser
authors.forename: Supawadee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naorungroj
authors.forename: Stephen K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Shuman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003792:Dental Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: dental caries; end of life; older adults