Nakamura Junya, Kitagaki Kazufumi, Ueda Yuya, Nishio Eri, Shibatsuji Takeshi, Uchihashi Yasuyuki, Adachi Ryohei, Ono Rei
Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Tokiwa Hospital, Hyogo, Japan.
Department of Public Health, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hyogo, Japan.
Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2021 Jan;21(1):66-70. doi: 10.1111/ggi.14104. Epub 2020 Dec 6.
The oral health status of elderly adults has implications for general health problems. Polypharmacy for elderly adults is associated with an increased risk of potentially inappropriate medicines and many adverse drug events; however, no report has shown that polypharmacy itself is associated with complex oral problems. This study aimed to determine the association between polypharmacy and oral health status in patients admitted to the recovery and rehabilitation ward.
This cross-sectional study included 471 patients (age: 81.9 ± 7.7 years, women: n = 346). Oral health status was measured using the Oral Health Assessment Tool and poor oral health status was defined as a score of ≥3. Cases of patients taking six or more medications were defined as polypharmacy. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between polypharmacy and oral health status. Age, sex, body mass index, number of comorbidities, cognitive and motor functions, and potentially inappropriate medicines were set as confounding factors.
Using the Oral Health Assessment Tool, 51.0% (n = 240) of patients scored ≥3. The prevalence of patients with polypharmacy was 56.9% (n = 268). Polypharmacy was significantly associated with poor oral health status (odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-2.39, P = 0.007; adjusted odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.12-2.43, P = 0.011).
This study showed that polypharmacy was associated with poor oral health status. Focusing on the number of medications may be helpful in detecting oral problems. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 66-70.
老年人的口腔健康状况与一般健康问题相关。老年人多重用药与潜在不适当用药及许多药物不良事件的风险增加有关；然而，尚无报告表明多重用药本身与复杂的口腔问题有关。本研究旨在确定康复病房住院患者多重用药与口腔健康状况之间的关联。
本横断面研究纳入471例患者（年龄：81.9±7.7岁，女性：n = 346）。使用口腔健康评估工具测量口腔健康状况，口腔健康状况差定义为得分≥3分。服用六种或更多药物的患者病例定义为多重用药。进行逻辑回归分析以检验多重用药与口腔健康状况之间的关系。将年龄、性别、体重指数、合并症数量、认知和运动功能以及潜在不适当用药作为混杂因素。
使用口腔健康评估工具，51.0%（n = 240）的患者得分≥3分。多重用药患者的患病率为56.9%（n = 268）。多重用药与口腔健康状况差显著相关（比值比 = 1.65，95%置信区间 = 1.14 - 2.39，P = 0.007；调整后比值比 = 1.65，95%置信区间 = 1.12 - 2.43，P = 0.011）。
本研究表明多重用药与口腔健康状况差有关。关注用药数量可能有助于发现口腔问题。《老年医学与老年病学国际杂志》2021年；21：66 - 70。
