Oral health related quality of life in Victorian nursing homes

The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) amongst residents living in nursing homes in Victoria, and to assess the impact of dental caries and salivary disorders on OHRQoL. 

Methods:

Clinical dental examinations were conducted on residents from 19 randomly selected nursing homes in metropolitan Melbourne, using ICDAS-II Criteria. OHRQoL was determined by using the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14). Xerostomia was measured using the Xerostomia Inventory (XI) and a validating question. Saliva testing was conducted using the GC Saliva Check-Kit.  This data was then analysed using SPSS V.17.0.

Results:

Nursing home residents were elderly, medically compromised and functionally impaired and had extended stays at nursing homes. The most frequently reported impacts on OHRQoL included difficulty eating certain foods (27.7%), feeling self-conscious (20.6%) and embarrassed (19.1%) because of problems with the mouth, and painful aching from the mouth (18.4%). 

Significantly higher rates of untreated coronal and root caries were found amongst residents who reported feeling self-conscious with a mean 3.5(SD=0.8) decayed teeth, compared to 1.9(SD=0.3) amongst those who did not report an impact.

Whilst OHRQoL was not associated with salivary gland hypofunction, there were strong associations with xerostomia. The prevalence of xerostomia was significantly higher amongst residents who reported difficulty eating certain foods, feeling self-conscious or embarrassed because of the mouth and painful aching from the mouth.

Conclusions: Improving oral health of nursing home resident is likely to result in significant improvement in quality of life.