IADR Abstract Archives
Oral Health And Nutritional Status In The Elderly
Objectives: With increasing age, the rate of malnutrition increases in elderly people especially in developing country like India and is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality because of many factors including oral health status. Poor oral health impacts the food choices and intake of important nutrients among older population. This study aimed to evaluate, for the first time in Manipur, the relationship between nutritional status and oral health in elderly population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on older adults aged sixty years and above residing in residential homes in Manipur. Respondents were interviewed to collect information on their demographic characteristics and oral health perception, followed by physical examination to measure height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of respondents. The Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) assessed nutritional status and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) assessed oral health. Oral examination was done to record the remaining teeth, the presence and status of dentures and periodontal status. Bivariate analyses, chi –square test and multiple logistic regression were used to measure the association between the variables. The significance level was set at p<0.05.
Results: The prevalence of malnutrition was 5.1%. More than 50% of individuals in need of dental care were at risk of nutritional deficits.
Mean GOHAI score was 44.03 , indicating low perception of oral health. Logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between the GOHAI, BMI scores and nutritional status.
Conclusions: Older adults with poor perception of their oral health were more likely to be malnourished as compared to those who perceived their oral health to be good. Our results are suggestive of the importance of oral care within the elderly population of Manipur residing in residential homes to reduce the risk of malnutrition and improve oral health-related quality of life.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on older adults aged sixty years and above residing in residential homes in Manipur. Respondents were interviewed to collect information on their demographic characteristics and oral health perception, followed by physical examination to measure height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of respondents. The Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) assessed nutritional status and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) assessed oral health. Oral examination was done to record the remaining teeth, the presence and status of dentures and periodontal status. Bivariate analyses, chi –square test and multiple logistic regression were used to measure the association between the variables. The significance level was set at p<0.05.
Results: The prevalence of malnutrition was 5.1%. More than 50% of individuals in need of dental care were at risk of nutritional deficits.
Mean GOHAI score was 44.03 , indicating low perception of oral health. Logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between the GOHAI, BMI scores and nutritional status.
Conclusions: Older adults with poor perception of their oral health were more likely to be malnourished as compared to those who perceived their oral health to be good. Our results are suggestive of the importance of oral care within the elderly population of Manipur residing in residential homes to reduce the risk of malnutrition and improve oral health-related quality of life.