The relationship between prosthetic status and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index in a group of institutionalized elderly of an Indian city: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

To assess and compare the quality of life and oral health status among institutionalized elderly in Pune. A cross-sectional, quantitative exploratory study was conducted in persons 60 years of age in an institutionalized elderly home. The GOHAI questionnaire was completed by a single examiner, who interviewed the patients in their local language. The oral examination was carried out according to WHO oral health survey using the DMFT-index, community periodontal index (CPI), periodontal loss of attachment (PLA), prosthetic use, and needs according to criteria established by the WHO by a calibrated examiner. Descriptive analysis was carried out using absolute and relative frequencies of the qualitative variables and means with respective standard deviations for the quantitative variables. The Student's t-test was applied to compare groups. Out of the total 110 individuals interviewed for the study, 64% were males and 36% were females. Individuals with up to 20 missing teeth and individuals with more than 20 missing teeth were 20 and 80% respectively. Based on the prosthetic need, 66% individuals needed replacement of teeth by dentures in one or both arches while 34% did not need any replacement by complete denture. The mean value for physical dimension was 5.40 whereas for psychosocial dimension, pain/discomfort and behavioral dimension were 8.02, 4.58 and 7.32. The quality of life was found to be more favorable in individuals with less than 20 teeth missing. The quality of life among complete denture wearers in both the arches was better as compared to the quality of life among nondenture wearers. Prosthetic replacement by complete denture helps the individuals to maintain better oral health. The data obtained from the present study may serve as a reference point for comparisons of the magnitude of quality-of-life indicators relating to oral health.