<p>Indicators of oral health in older adults with and without the presence of multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study</p>

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the distribution of various indicators of oral health among elderly people with and without multimorbidity (ie, two or more chronic diseases).Subjects and methodsA cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted using a sample of Mexican elderly individuals aged ≥60 years. The average age of the cohort was 79.06±9.78 years, and 69.1% were women. The variables indicating oral health were as follows: functional dentition, edentulism, hyposalivation, xerostomia, root caries and periodontitis. The multimorbidity variable was operationally categorized as follows: 0= subjects with no chronic disease or one chronic disease and 1= subjects with two or more chronic diseases. Questionnaires were used to collect information on various variables regarding general health. Likewise, the participants underwent a clinical oral examination. The analysis was performed using Stata 11.0.ResultsThe overall prevalence of multimorbidity was 27.3%. The prevalences of various oral health indicators were as follows: without functional dentition 89.9%; hyposalivation 59.7%; edentulism 38.9% and self-reported xerostomia 25.2%. Dental caries were observed in 95.3% of the subjects, and the prevalence of severe periodontitis was 80%. We found a significant difference only in edentulism; its prevalence was higher among subjects with multimorbidity (55.3% vs 32.7%, P=0.015) than among those without multimorbidity.ConclusionThe presence of edentulism in this sample of Mexican older adults was higher in subjects with multimorbidity. Multimorbidity and oral diseases constitute a true challenge in elderly people, because they affect quality of life and are associated with high health care costs.

Medical Conditions and Oral Diseases in Elderly Thai Dental Patients in Lower Northern Thailand Patients in Lower Northern Thailan

“…5,6 In this study, the most prevalent oral diseases were tooth loss (87.7%), followed by periodontal diseases (80%), tooth wear (66%), dental caries (65.3%), and pulp diseases (54%). These findings were in accordance with previous studies [21][22][23] , and tooth loss was the most common dental problem among the elderly. 15,24,25 Oral cancer was not found in this group of patients.…”

Salivary Gland Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Is Aggravated by Nitrosative Stress, as Well as Oxidation and Glycation of Proteins

“…Reduced saliva secretion is a common problem in people with chronic diseases [ 25 , 54 ]. Numerous studies have shown that oxidative/nitrosative stress plays a key role in salivary gland hypofunction in the course of systemic diseases [ 14 , 15 , 18 , 23 ].…”

Self-reported oral hygiene practices with emphasis on frequency of tooth brushing

“…Our methodology has been partially described elsewhere. [ 11 – 15 ] During recruitment, we informed potential participants of the objectives of our research and of the confidential manner in which their data would be handled. We also explained that they would be free to leave the study at any time.…”