Medical and cognitive correlates of denture wearing in older community-dwelling adults

Objectives: To examine the association between denture wearing and use of dental services, oral function limitations, and medical and cognitive status in a community-based cohort of rural older adults enrolled in an epidemiological study. Design: This cross-sectional study was part of a larger cohort study, the Monongahela Valley Independent Elders Survey. Dental data were collected during the fifth wave of assessments (10 years after the start of the study in 1987). Setting: Monongahela Valley, a rural western Pennsylvania community. Participants: The 805 participants were English-speaking community-dwelling (noninstitutionalized) persons, aged 73 and older, with at least a sixth grade education. Measurements: A questionnaire was used to collect data on denture-wearing status, oral function limitations, and recency of the last dental visit. Other data collected included demographics, self-rated health, medication usage, depression, cognitive status using the Mini-Mental State Examination, and self-reports of weight loss and appetite. Results: There were 44.7% of participants who had full dentures. Those with complete dentures were more likely to complain of oral function limitation, report poor health status, and take prescription medications. Additionally, 93.6% of those with complete dentures had not seen a dentist in more than 1 year. Conclusion: Denture wearing and edentulism are common in older patients and can be related to poor quality of life and risk for undiagnosed oral disease and may be a marker for other medical comorbidities. Geriatricians need to include oral health status evaluations and understand that attention to the oral cavity should be part of an older adult's care.