Loss of occlusal support affects the decline in activities of daily living in elderly people receiving home care.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to clarify whether the absence of occlusal support would lead to a decline in the activities of daily living (ADL) in elderly people receiving home care.


METHODS
The subjects of this study were 322 elderly individual aged 65 and older who were receiving home care during a one-year observation period. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the change in the total score of the Barthel Index (BI) during the prospective cohort study period (the dependent variable): the maintained/improved activities of daily living group, in which the score was unchanged or improved, and the worsened activities of daily living group, in which the score decreased. The relationship between occlusal status (the presence or absence of occlusal support) at the baseline measurement and each BI score change was evaluated in the slightly, moderately and totally dependent ADL subgroups.


RESULTS
The number of subjects in the maintained/improved and the worsened ADL groups was 152 and 170, respectively. The baseline characteristics of cognitive function and occlusal support were significantly different between the maintained/improved and the worsened ADL groups (p < 0.05). Among the ADL subgroups, significantly reduced scores in mobility and toilet use were observed only in the slightly dependent group (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the loss of occlusal support may be an important factor in the decline of ADL in elderly people receiving home care, especially slightly dependent people.
Division of Clinical Oral Rehabilitation, The Nippon Dental University Graduate School of Life Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan.
Sae
S
Genkai
Division of Clinical Oral Rehabilitation, The Nippon Dental University Graduate School of Life Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan; Division of Rehabilitation for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, The Nippon Dental University, Tama Oral Rehabilitation Clinic, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: kikutani@tokyo.ndu.ac.jp.
Takeshi
T
Kikutani
Division of Rehabilitation for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, The Nippon Dental University, Tama Oral Rehabilitation Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
Ryo
R
Suzuki
Division of Rehabilitation for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, The Nippon Dental University, Tama Oral Rehabilitation Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
Fumiyo
F
Tamura
Section of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Division of Oral Health, Growth and Development, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Yoshihisa
Y
Yamashita
Division of Rehabilitation for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, The Nippon Dental University, Tama Oral Rehabilitation Clinic, Tokyo, Japan; Dental Department, Hiroshima City General Rehabilitation Center, Hiroshima, Japan.
Mitsuyoshi
M
Yoshida
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003679:Deglutition; D017266:Dental Prosthesis; D003778:Dentures; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011476:Prosthodontics; D012307:Risk Factors
ADL; Cohort study; Elderlies; Home care; Occlusal support