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Dental status, xerostomia and the oral health‐related quality of life of an elderly institutionalized population
Author(s) -
Locker David
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1754-4505.2003.tb01667.x
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , oral health , population , multivariate analysis , gerontology , dental care , dentistry , environmental health , nursing
The author examined the relative effects of tooth loss and xerostomia on the oral health‐related quality of life of an elderly, medically compromised population, living in a long‐term care setting. Data were collected from 225 subjects (mean age: 83 years) via a questionnaire and review of dental charts. Oral health‐related quality of life was assessed using self‐ratings, satisfaction ratings, an index of chewing capacity, the GOHAI, and OH1P‐14. Almost all participants had one or more chronic medical conditions and were taking prescribed medications. Two‐thirds of the study group was dentulous with a mean number of 16 remaining teeth. One‐third of the participants had scores on a xerostomia index indicating marked oral dryness. In bivariate and multivariate analyses, xerostomia index scores were significantly associated with all oral health‐related quality of life outcomes. Dental status was associated with chewing capacity only. The results suggest that xerostomia has an important influence on the well‐being and quality of life of this population.