Impact of Oral Health on Nutritional Status in Community-dwelling Older Adults in Turkey

OpenAlex İngilizce

Objective: To determine the association between oral health and nutritional status in community-dwelling older adults in Turkey.A populationbased cohort study using data obtained from the Kayseri Elderly.Health Study. Materials and Methods:Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment.In oral examination, number of decayed permanent teeth, use of dental prostheses, number of natural teeth, use of toothpaste and tooth brushing frequency were noted.Oral health-related quality of life and periodontal status were assessed by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire and the Community Periodontal Index, respectively.Results: A total of 476 older adults, whose oral health data were available, were included in this study.The mean age of the participants was 71.8±5.6 years and 52.3% were female.The prevalence rate for normal nutritional status was 52.2%.The remaining 44.2% of the older adults were determined to be at risk of malnutrition and 3.6% had malnutrition.In multivariate analysis, depressive mood (OR: 2.54 95% CI: 1.59-4.06),use of toothpaste (OR: 0.58 95% CI: 0.38-0.88)and OHIP scores (OR: 1.03 95% CI: 1.01-1.06)were detected to be independent determinants of nutritional status.Conclusion: Depressive mood, not using toothpaste and high OHIP scores were found to be significant risk factors for malnutrition.