The oral health status of residents with different cognitive and dental‐related functions in three North Carolina assisted living facilities

Abstract

Introduction The aim of the study was to describe the oral health status of persons with different cognition and dental‐related functions (DRFs). Methods The present study was a secondary analysis of data collected for a cross‐sectional study of residents in three assisted living facilities in North Carolina. The participants were aged 50 years or older, had normal to severely impaired cognition and spoke English. Upon obtaining informed consent, an oral assessment was completed by a trained geriatric dentist. A research team member who was blind to the oral examination outcomes then used the Minimum Data Set Cognition Scale to assess participants’ cognition and the dental activities test to evaluate oral self‐care and other DRFs. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic, cognitive, functional and oral health status of the study participants. The impacts of cognitive and functional status on oral health measures were examined using simple linear regression models, negative binomial and zero‐inflated negative binomial models. Results A total of 91 long‐term residents from three long‐term care facilities participated in the study. Oral hygiene and gingival health were significantly associated with cognition (P = 0.056 and P = 0.017, respectively) and DRFs (P = 0.013 and P = 0.008, respectively). Residents with poor cognitive and dental‐related function also presented with poor oral hygiene and gingival health. Conclusion The study results suggest that oral hygiene and gingival health were significantly associated with cognition and DRFs.

Aging and Oral Care: An Observational Study of Characteristics and Prevalence of Oral Diseases in an Italian Cohort

“…In line with many authors [24,25], the results of this study showed that the higher the dementia degree is, the lower is the patient’s cooperation and lower the oral health status. Evidence of poor oral hygiene in elderly patients with dementia are reported in literature by several studies [10,26], which demonstrated a greater decline in the salivary glands function, an increase in the prevalence of edentulism (up to about 65%), of the accumulation of plaque and tartar, of periodontal sites with gingival bleeding and a greater incidence of coronal and root caries, compared to elderly subjects with normal cognitive functions.…”

How accurate is the assessment of certified nursing assistants on resident's oral self‐care function in three North Carolina assisted‐living facilities?

“…Previous studies repeated reported poor oral health in AL residents 9,6,10,11 . Our study also revealed that although nearly 90% of the participants had at least one untreated decayed/broken tooth, only one (1.54%) visited a dentist in the past year.…”

“…The limited evidence suggests that oral hygiene is poor in AL residents. 6, 9–11 Oral hygiene worsens as the cognitive or oral self‐care functions decline 11 . These findings suggest that oral care support may be inadequate in AL facilities.…”

“…These findings suggest that oral care support may be inadequate in AL facilities. As a result, dental caries is highly prevalent in AL residents, and nearly 40% of their teeth are decayed 11 . Tooth loss is also common in AL residents 11 .…”

“…As a result, dental caries is highly prevalent in AL residents, and nearly 40% of their teeth are decayed 11 . Tooth loss is also common in AL residents 11 . Poor oral health can also cause malnutrition, compromise quality of life and lead to aspiration pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, sepsis, and even death 12–18 …”