Education and Scientific Research Department of Clinical Nursing, Changhai Hospital affiliated to Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Education and Scientific Research Department of Clinical Nursing, NO. 905 Hospital of the Navy, Shanghai, China.
Nurs Open. 2021 Mar;8(2):792-798. doi: 10.1002/nop2.683. Epub 2020 Nov 22.
To investigate the oral health status of aged residents and explore the possible factors associated with oral health and the effect of cognitive impairment (CI) on it in geriatric care facilities (GCF) using oral health assessment tool (OHAT) in Shanghai, China.
Oral health is closely associated with overall health. Problems like missing teeth, dental caries, dental pain, periodontal diseases, oral infections and dysphagia are common in GCFs. Furthermore, residents in GCFs with CI are becoming a dominant group and this prevalence increases with age. Detection of oral problems earlier and taking oral care actions is required for these special populations.
The study was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in 42 GCFs. Data were collected from 657 subjects, including oral health assessment (OHAT), cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE) and respondents' characteristics. The subjects were divided into CI group and non-CI group based on MMSE. Oral health conditions were compared between the two groups.
Oral health status in the CI group was significantly worse than that in the non-CI group (p < .001) with four OHAT dimensions (tongue (p = .0007), saliva (p = .0011), natural teeth (p = .0155) and oral cleanliness (p < .001)). The worst dimension was natural teeth. Debris and plaque index (p < .001), oral odour (p < .001), chewing function (p = .0151) and swallowing function (p = .0405) were worse in CI group than those in non-CI group. In the CI group, providing oral care was a protective factor in oral health (OR = 0.600 95CI% (0.39-0.92)) and wearing dentures was a risk factor (OR = 2.09, 95CI% (1.31-3.32)), while the similar effects were not found in non-CI group.
Oral health status among aged residents in GCFs in China was worse among individuals with CI. Caregivers in GCFs should focus more on seniors' oral health with CI.
Residents who are suffering from CI are more vulnerable to have oral problems. Regular and proper oral health check-ups in daily nursing work to define oral problems of residents are significant. Nursing staff should pay more attention to oral assessment and effective intervention.
使用口腔健康评估工具（OHAT）在中国上海的老年护理机构（GCF）中调查老年居民的口腔健康状况，并探讨与口腔健康相关的可能因素以及认知障碍（CI）对其的影响。
口腔健康与整体健康密切相关。在 GCF 中，缺牙、龋齿、牙痛、牙周病、口腔感染和吞咽困难等问题很常见。此外，患有 CI 的 GCF 居民正成为一个主要群体，而且随着年龄的增长，这一患病率还在增加。对于这些特殊人群，需要更早地发现口腔问题并采取口腔护理措施。
这是一项在中国 42 个 GCF 中进行的观察性横断面研究。数据来自 657 名受试者，包括口腔健康评估（OHAT）、认知障碍（简易精神状态检查，MMSE）和受访者特征。根据 MMSE 将受试者分为 CI 组和非 CI 组。比较两组的口腔健康状况。
CI 组的口腔健康状况明显差于非 CI 组（p<0.001），在四个 OHAT 维度上（舌头（p=0.0007）、唾液（p=0.0011）、天然牙齿（p=0.0155）和口腔清洁度（p<0.001））。最严重的维度是天然牙齿。CI 组的牙垢和牙菌斑指数（p<0.001）、口腔异味（p<0.001）、咀嚼功能（p=0.0151）和吞咽功能（p=0.0405）均差于非 CI 组。在 CI 组中，提供口腔护理是口腔健康的保护因素（OR=0.600 95CI%（0.39-0.92）），戴假牙是危险因素（OR=2.09，95CI%（1.31-3.32）），而在非 CI 组中未发现类似影响。
中国 GCF 中老年人的口腔健康状况在患有 CI 的人群中更差。GCF 的护理人员应更加关注患有 CI 的老年人的口腔健康。
患有 CI 的居民更容易出现口腔问题。在日常护理工作中定期进行适当的口腔健康检查以确定居民的口腔问题非常重要。护理人员应更加注意口腔评估和有效干预。
