Comparison of oral health-related quality of life between community-dwelling elderly people with cognitive decline and normal elderly in Japan

Aim: The aim of this article was to survey oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) of elderly people and compared that of elderly people with cognitive decline with that of those with no cognitive decline. Materials and Methods: The cognitive function of community-dwelling elderly people (65 years old or more, n = 188) in Japan was measured by Mini-Mental State Examination, and subjects were divided into normal and impaired groups. Oral status was examined and for those wearing dentures, the dentures were assessed by the prosthodontic specialists with clinical techniques and by the subjects themselves with visual analog scale. Masticatory function was assessed by an objective method with a test food and a subjective method with a questionnaire. OHRQOL was measured by General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). The statistical analysis was carried out using the Mann-Whitney U-test and chi 2 test. Results: The number of remaining teeth and masticatory ability in the normal group were significantly higher than that in the impaired group. There are significant differences on the ratio of answers in Q2, Q7, Q9, Q10, and Q11 at GOHAI. The status of dentures by subjective and objective assessment was almost the same in both groups. Conclusion: Elderly people with cognitive decline decrease masticatory function with fewer remaining teeth, and it is revealed that they have trouble in chewing and psychological and oral discomfort caused by oral problems.