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Do subjectively and objectively impaired oral health parameters influence geriatric assessment results in hospitalized geriatric patients?

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European Geriatric Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Key summary points

AbstractSection Aim

To verify the hypothesis that there is an impact of objective and subjective oral health parameters on CGA results, which is reflected by laboratory parameters.

AbstractSection Findings

In our limited study group, associations between oral health parameters, OHrQoL, and CGA could be shown, but there were no associations with routine laboratory parameters.

AbstractSection Message

Our results demonstrate the association between impaired oral health, OHrQoL, and physical functional impairment among orthogeriatric patients. The results encourage interdisciplinary cooperation between geriatricians and dentists, but also indicate the need for further research in this field.

Abstract

Background

Impaired oral health affects oral health-related quality of life (OHrQoL) in orthogeriatric hospitalized patients, and both might be associated with potential risk factors for functional impairment, based on the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and related blood laboratory values. As data on this field are scarce, we investigated possible associations between oral health, items of the geriatric oral health assessment instrument (GOHAI), CGA assessment tools, and relevant laboratory values.

Methods

Explorative cross-sectional pilot study investigating oral and general health, OHrQoL, and functionality based on objective oral health, GOHAI, CGA, and routinely assessed laboratory parameters of orthogeriatric patients. Correlations (Spearman’s rho and Pearson’s) and regression analysis were performed for the dependent variables functionality, cognition, Mini-Nutritional Assessment, Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), and the 15-item geriatric depression scale (GDS).

Results

Among all participants (N = 40), several GOHAI single items (GOHAI 1,4,5,7,10,11) correlated with certain CGA assessment results (fear of falling, Barthel index, handgrip power). Reduced subjective oral health (GOHAI, xerostomia) and objective oral health (oral hygiene index, root caries index, unstimulated salivation rate) correlated with reduced general health and CGA results (polypharmacy, handgrip power, FES, GDS). Anemia was seen in all participants, but no associations between reduced oral health and laboratory blood values were detected.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate the association between impaired subjective and objective oral health, OHrQoL, and physical functional impairment among orthogeriatric patients. Impaired GOHAI item results at the dentist, and the association between GOHAI values and CGA results that implies an association between physical and oral health, should encourage a geriatric check based on CGA, and vice versa. Results encourage interdisciplinary cooperation between geriatricians and dentists, but also indicate the need for further research in this field.

Trial registration

DRKS00013230.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from Barbe A.G., but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available.

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Acknowledgements

The draft manuscript was proofread by Deborah Nock (Medical WriteAway, Norwich, UK).

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

All authors have contributed to the work substantially either by helping with conception and study design (AGB, MJN, GR), by contributing data (HK, PS, Bussmann M) and writing the manuscript (Barbe AG, MJN, GR), or by helping with the analysis and interpretation of the data (AGB, GR). All authors have been significantly involved in revising the article, and have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriele Röhrig.

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Conflict of interest

The authors state that there is no relevant conflict of interest related to this study.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The University of Cologne local ethics review board (study number: 17-389, date of issue: 11/27/2017) granted approval for the study.

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Written consent was obtained from each study participants prior to the beginning of the study.

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Röhrig, G., Pia, S., Bussmann, M. et al. Do subjectively and objectively impaired oral health parameters influence geriatric assessment results in hospitalized geriatric patients?. Eur Geriatr Med 11, 465–474 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-020-00306-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-020-00306-1

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