Kotronia, Eftychia;
Brown, Heather;
Papacosta, Olia;
Lennon, Lucy;
Weyant, Robert;
Whincup, Peter;
Wannamethee, S Goya;
(2022)
Oral health problems and risk of incident disability in two studies of older adults in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
, 70
(7)
pp. 2080-2092.
10.1111/jgs.17792.
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Abstract
Background: Preventing oral health problems can be crucial for maintaining physical independence in older adults. We aimed to examine the associations of a range of oral health problems with incidence of disability in older adults. Methods: We used prospective data from the British Regional Health Study (BRHS) (N = 2147, 71–92 years), and the Health, Aging and Body Composition (HABC) study (USA) (N = 3075, 71–80 years). Oral health measures included tooth loss, periodontal disease, self-rated oral health, and self-reported dry mouth. Participants were followed for onset of disability over a follow-up period of 3 years. Onset of disability was assessed through new cases of mobility limitations, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Logistic regression was performed to calculate the odds of incident disability. Results: In the BRHS, tooth loss was associated with greater odds of mobility limitations and ADL difficulties. Periodontal disease was associated with greater incidence of mobility limitations. Self-report of ≥3 dry mouth symptoms was associated with increased odds of incident mobility limitations and ADL difficulties (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.27–3.42; OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.03–2.90). Fair/poor self-rated oral health was associated with greater incidence of IADL difficulties. In the HABC study, complete tooth loss was associated with greater incidence of mobility limitations (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.13–3.06), and fair/poor self-rated oral health was associated with increased odds of incident ADL difficulties (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.04–1.94). Conclusions: Oral health problems in older adults, particularly tooth loss, self-reported dry mouth and self-rated oral health were associated with greater incidence of disability. Poor oral health plays a potentially important role in the development of disability in older populations, which in turn is an essential part of quality of life and healthy aging.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Oral health problems and risk of incident disability in two studies of older adults in the United Kingdom and the United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jgs.17792 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.17792 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 The Authors. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Geriatrics Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10145836 |
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