Oral health and mortality risk in the institutionalised elderly

OBJECTIVE Examining oral health and oral hygiene as predictors of subsequent one-year survival in the institutionalised elderly. DESIGN It was hypothesized that oral health would be related to mortality in an institutionalised geriatric population. A 12-month prospective study of 292 elderly residing in nine geriatric institutions in Granada, Spain, was thus carried out to evaluate the association between oral health and mortality. Independent samples, T-test, chi-square test and Cox regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Sixty-three participants died during the 12-month follow-up. RESULTS Mortality was increased in denture users (RR = 2.18, p= 0.007) and in people suffering severe cognitive impairment (RR = 2. 24, p= 0.003). One-year mortality was 50% in participants having both these characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Oral hygiene was not significantly associated with mortality. Cognitive impairment and wearing dentures increased the risk of death. One-year mortality was 50% in cognitively impaired residents wearing dentures as opposed to 10% in patients without dentures and cognitive impairment.