Cognitive impairment, the Mini‐Mental State Examination and socio‐demographic and dental variables in the elderly in Brazil

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Dementia, a syndrome characterised by multiple cognitive impairments, is an increasing medical and social problem across the world. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the instrument most often used in the evaluation of cognitive compromise and dementia in elderly individuals. It is noteworthy that there is a scarcity of works in the literature on the dimensions of the MMSE and its relation to dental variables in the elderly. To evaluate the condition of cognitive impairment, the dimensions of the MMSE, and the latter's relation to socio-demographic and dental variables in elderly individuals of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, whereby 218 elderly users of the system were evaluated at the Sistema Único de Saúde (Brazilian health service) in Montes Claros. The collection of data involved the realisation of structured interviews and clinical dentistry examinations. The screening of cognitive impairment was carried out with the Portuguese version of MMSE. The data were subjected to descriptive and bivariate analyses. The prevalence of cognitive impairment found was 6.4%. A statistically significant association was observed between cognitive decline and age, marital status and use of dental prostheses. An association was also noted between several dimensions of MMSE and edentulism (time orientation, attention and calculation, and final score) and use of prostheses (except evocation memory and language). It was noticed that those who were 80 years old or more, not married and using prostheses were more likely to manifest cognitive impairment. Associations between some MMSE dimensions were established, including the final score, with edentulism and the use of prostheses.