Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 15;17(6):1913. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17061913.
The objective of this study was to compare the caries, periodontal status, and toothbrushing practices of Chinese elderly people with and without dementia.
This cross-sectional study recruited Chinese people aged 65 years or over attending daycare centers in Hong Kong. The participants' dementia status was identified from their medical record. Their demographic information and toothbrushing practices were obtained through a questionnaire survey. Caries experience, periodontal status, and oral hygiene were measured using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) Index, Community Periodontal Index, and Visible Plaque Index (VPI), respectively. The case matching process, using the propensity score, was conducted to match the participants in dementia and nondementia groups. The chi-square test and t-test were conducted for analysis.
A total of 341 elderly people participated in this study. After case matching by gender and age, 129 participants with dementia were matched with 99 participants without dementia. The mean age and mean DMFT of the dementia group versus the nondementia group were 80.9 ± 7.5 vs. 79.4 ± 6.7 ( = 0.428) and 22.5 ± 7.9 vs. 19.2 ± 9.3 ( = 0.041), respectively. There was no significant difference of periodontal status observed. The VPI of dementia and nondementia groups were 77% and 63%, respectively ( = 0.027). Though they had no difference in frequency of toothbrushing, more dementia participants encountered difficulties in toothbrushing than those without dementia (57% vs. 8%, < 0.001).
Compared with elderly people without dementia, Chinese elderly people with dementia had more caries experience and poorer oral hygiene in Hong Kong. They were more likely to have difficulty in performing toothbrushing.
本研究旨在比较有和无痴呆症的中国老年人的龋齿、牙周状况和刷牙习惯。
本横断面研究招募了在香港日托中心的 65 岁及以上的中国老年人。参与者的痴呆状态从他们的病历中确定。通过问卷调查获得他们的人口统计学信息和刷牙习惯。使用龋齿、缺失和补牙（DMFT）指数、社区牙周指数（CPI）和可见菌斑指数（VPI）分别测量龋齿经历、牙周状况和口腔卫生。使用倾向评分进行病例匹配过程，以匹配痴呆症组和非痴呆症组的参与者。进行卡方检验和 t 检验进行分析。
共有 341 名老年人参与了这项研究。经过性别和年龄的病例匹配后，有 129 名痴呆症患者与 99 名非痴呆症患者相匹配。痴呆症组和非痴呆症组的平均年龄和平均 DMFT 分别为 80.9 ± 7.5 岁和 79.4 ± 6.7 岁（ = 0.428）和 22.5 ± 7.9 岁和 19.2 ± 9.3 岁（ = 0.041）。牙周状况没有显著差异。痴呆症和非痴呆症组的 VPI 分别为 77%和 63%（ = 0.027）。尽管他们刷牙的频率没有差异，但更多的痴呆症患者在刷牙方面遇到困难的比例高于没有痴呆症的患者（57%比 8%，<0.001）。
与没有痴呆症的老年人相比，中国香港有痴呆症的老年人的龋齿经历更多，口腔卫生状况更差。他们更有可能在刷牙方面遇到困难。
