title: Oral health and apraxia among institutionalized elderly people--a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Poor oral hygiene and dental health are very common among the institutionalized elderly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of apraxia with oral hygiene and/or health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two residents of 13 long-term care homes in southwest Germany participated in the study. For each participant, ideomotor apraxia scoring (AS) was conducted and demographic variables were collected. Participants underwent a comprehensive dental examination to assess the oral health indices gingival bleeding index (GBI), community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN) and denture hygiene index (DHI). Statistical comparison of dental indices among apraxic and non-apraxic individuals (cut-off < 45) was performed by use of t-tests. In addition, linear regression models were constructed with the dental indices as dependent variables. Each model was fitted with the dichotomized variable AS (pathologic or healthy) and adjusted for age and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (SD) GBI of 48.5 (25.9), CPITN of 2.9 (0.7) and DHI of 82.6 (14.6) were observed among the participants. Statistical analysis revealed AS was significantly associated with all oral health indicators (p < 0.05). Linear regression models showed apraxia is a predictor of GBI (p = 0.002) and CPITN (p = 0.027), but not of denture hygiene (p = 0.916).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although this pilot investigation has limitations, the results suggest the presence of apraxia should be considered when planning oral healthcare strategies. Further research with larger samples is encouraged to confirm these relationships.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Dental School.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zenthöfer
authors.forename: Sabrina D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Navratil
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rammelsberg
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gorenc
authors.forename: Nadja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Urbanowitsch
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wetzel
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hassel
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001072:Apraxias / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D003778:Dentures; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000145:classification; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000145:classification; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: CPITN; GBI; apraxia; elderly; oral health