Asociación entre salud oral y deterioro cognitivo en personas mayores chilenas = Association between oral health and cognitive decline in older Chileans

Nazar, G., Díaz-Toro, F., Roa, P., Petermann-Rocha, F., Troncoso-Pantoja, C., Leiva-Ordóñez, A. M., Cigarroa, I. and Celis-Morales, C. (2023) Asociación entre salud oral y deterioro cognitivo en personas mayores chilenas = Association between oral health and cognitive decline in older Chileans. Gaceta Sanitaria, 37, 102303. (doi: 10.1016/j.gaceta.2023.102303) (PMID:37156068)

Abstract

Objective: To identify the association between oral health and suspected cognitive impairment in older adults in Chile. Method: Cross-sectional study including 1826 people ≥60 years who participated in the National Health Survey of Chile, 2016-2017. Oral health was evaluated by the number of teeth, presence of caries, use of dental prostheses, self-reported oral health, and pain and/or discomfort in the oral cavity. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The association was evaluated by logistic and linear regression, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables. Results: Compared with people without suspicion of cognitive impairment, people with suspected impairment had five fewer teeth (13.4 vs. 8.5 teeth), a much higher difference in women than in men, and a higher frequency of oral pain. Edentulism and fewer teeth were associated with a higher likelihood of suspected cognitive impairment, associations that were not maintained in adjusted models. Oral pain was associated with a higher likelihood of suspected impairment even in the most adjusted model (odds ratio: 1.99; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.09-3.63). In linear models, an increase of 2% (95%CI: 0.01-0.05) in the MMSE score was observed for each additional tooth. Conclusions: Poor oral health, particularly tooth loss and the presence of pain, was associated with cognitive impairment in older adults in Chile.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Celis, Dr Carlos and Petermann-Rocha, Mrs Fanny
• Authors: Nazar, G., Díaz-Toro, F., Roa, P., Petermann-Rocha, F., Troncoso-Pantoja, C., Leiva-Ordóñez, A. M., Cigarroa, I., and Celis-Morales, C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
• Journal Name: Gaceta Sanitaria
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0213-9111
• ISSN (Online): 1578-1283
• Published Online: 06 May 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 SESPAS
• First Published: First published in Gaceta Sanitaria 37: 102303
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License