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  • Title: Cognitive impairment, oral self-care function and dental caries severity in community-dwelling older adults.
    Author: Chen X, Clark JJ, Chen H, Naorungroj S.
    Journal: Gerodontology; 2015 Mar; 32(1):53-61. PubMed ID: 23758583.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether oral self-care function mediates the associations between cognitive impairment and caries severity in community-dwelling older adults. BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment affects activities of daily living and compromises oral health, systemic health and quality of life in older adults. However, the associations among cognitive impairment, oral self-care capacity and caries severity remain unclear. This increases difficulty in developing effective interventions for cognitively impaired patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical, dental, cognitive and functional assessments were abstracted from the dental records of 600 community-dwelling elderly. 230 participants were selected using propensity score matching and categorised into normal, cognitive impairment but no dementia (CIND) and dementia groups based on their cognitive status and a diagnosis of dementia. Multivariable regressions were developed to examine the mediating effect of oral self-care function on the association between cognitive status and number of caries or retained roots. RESULTS: Cognitive impairment, oral self-care function and dental caries severity were intercorrelated. Multivariable analysis showed that without adjusting for oral self-care capacity, cognition was significantly associated with the number of caries or retained roots (p = 0.003). However, the association was not significant when oral self-care capacity was adjusted (p = 0.125). In contrast, individuals with impaired oral self-care capacity had a greater risk of having a caries or retained root (RR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.15, 2.44). CONCLUSION: Oral care capacity mediates the association between cognition and dental caries severity in community-dwelling older adults.
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