Del Brutto Oscar H, Gardener Hannah, Del Brutto Victor J, Maestre Gladys E, Zambrano Mauricio, Montenegro Jipson E, Wright Clinton B
School of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo - Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador,
J Community Health. 2014 Dec;39(6):1097-100. doi: 10.1007/s10900-014-9857-3.
Studies in industrialized nations suggest that severe edentulism correlates with cognitive impairment, but there is little information on this association in underserved populations. We conducted a community-based study to assess whether edentulism associates with cognitive impairment in elders living in rural Ecuador. Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door census and evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Persons were classified into two groups according to whether they have severe edentulism (<10 remaining teeth) or not. In addition, a questionnaire allowed self-rating of oral health. A total of 274 persons (mean age 69.6 ± 7.7 years; 59% women) were included. Persons with <10 remaining teeth (n = 116) have significantly lower MoCA scores than those with ≥10 teeth (n =158), after adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, depression and dementia (β = -1.06, p = 0.03). Self-rated poor oral health was more prevalent among persons with <10 teeth (p < 0.0001), but did not correlate with MoCA scores (good vs. poor, β = -0.89, p = 0.89). Severe edentulism is associated with poor cognitive performance in elders living in rural Ecuador. Public health campaigns directed to improve oral health may facilitate early recognition of persons with cognitive impairment in underserved populations.
工业化国家的研究表明，严重牙列缺失与认知障碍相关，但在医疗服务不足的人群中，关于这种关联的信息很少。我们开展了一项基于社区的研究，以评估牙列缺失是否与生活在厄瓜多尔农村地区的老年人的认知障碍有关。在挨家挨户的人口普查中，识别出年龄≥60岁的阿塔瓦尔帕居民，并使用蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）进行评估。根据是否患有严重牙列缺失（剩余牙齿<10颗），将研究对象分为两组。此外，通过一份问卷让研究对象对自己的口腔健康进行自评。总共纳入了274人（平均年龄69.6±7.7岁；女性占59%）。在对人口统计学、心血管危险因素、抑郁和痴呆进行校正后，剩余牙齿<10颗的人（n = 116）的MoCA得分显著低于剩余牙齿≥10颗的人（n = 158）（β = -1.06，p = 0.03）。自评口腔健康差在剩余牙齿<10颗的人中更为普遍（p < 0.0001），但与MoCA得分无关（自评良好与自评差相比，β = -0.89，p = 0.89）。严重牙列缺失与生活在厄瓜多尔农村地区的老年人认知功能差有关。旨在改善口腔健康的公共卫生运动可能有助于在医疗服务不足的人群中早期识别认知障碍患者。
