Relationship between oral hygiene and function and activities of daily living at discharge in convalescent patients with stroke

The Association between Oral Health Management and the Functional Independence Measure Scores at the Time of Admission of Inpatients to a Convalescent Hospital

Many older patients admitted to convalescent hospitals present with impaired oral function, which is an important function of daily life. This study aimed to investigate the actual status of the oral healthcare needs of inpatients in a convalescent hospital and to clarify the relationship between the level of independence at admission and the oral function. The participants were 147 patients (94 males, 53 females, mean age: 74.6 ± 13.1 years) who received dental visits during their stay at a convalescent hospital. Information regarding general and oral health was extracted from medical records. Most patients were found to have low Functional Independence Measure motor scores, and approximately 70% had some form of oral intake, but approximately 80% had nutritional problems. The mean number of present and functional teeth were 16.6 and 20.8, respectively, and 65% of patients lost molar occlusal support. Multiple regression analysis showed significant positive correlations of high functional independence measure with age, eating status, nutritional status, and the number of functional teeth. This implied that oral health management is important for patients in a convalescent hospital and that enhancing oral health may be related to improved eating textures and better nutritional status.

Association of poor oral health with increased incidence of dysphagia and impaired improvement in nutritional status among patients with acute heart failure: a prospective cohort study

AIMS

This study aimed to clarify the association between oral health and the incidence of dysphagia as well as the recovery of nutritional status and improvement of dysphagia in hospitalized patients with acute heart failure.

METHODS

Hospitalized patients with AHF were prospectively enrolled. Oral health was evaluated using the Japanese Version of the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT-J) after circulation dynamics improved (defined as baseline), and participants were classified into good and poor oral health groups (OHAT-J 0-2 and ≧ 3, respectively). The primary outcome measure was the incidence of dysphagia evaluated using the Food Intake Level Scale (FILS) at baseline. Secondary outcome measures were nutritional status and FILS score at discharge. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between oral health and the study outcomes.

RESULTS

Of the 203 recruited patients (mean age, 79.5 years; 50.7% female), 83 (40.9%) were in the poor oral health group. Participants with poor oral health were significantly older, had lower skeletal muscle mass and strength, lower nutrient intake and nutritional status, worse swallowing status, as well as lower cognitive level, and physical function than those with good oral health. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, baseline poor oral health was significantly associated with the incidence of dysphagia (odds ratio = 1.036, P = 0.020), as well as with the improvement in nutritional status (odds ratio = 0.389, P = 0.046) and dysphagia (odds ratio = 0.199, P = 0.026) at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor baseline oral health was associated with the incidence of dysphagia, as well as with the lack of improvement in nutritional status and dysphagia in patients with acute heart failure.