Abstract
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between vitality and the oral function of 140 dependent elderly individuals (28 men and 112 women ; mean age, 84.2±7.7 years old) residing at a care facility.
Vitality was determined using a vitality index evaluated by care givers. For the oral function, we evaluated the number of present teeth, the Eichner index, the simplified functional tooth units and a modified water swallow test. In addition, the parameters for physical and mental activities were age, sex, degree of long-term care needed, dietary form, diet related functional independence measure, body mass index, albumin level, comorbidity score and results of a mini-mental state examination.
The study showed that the factors related to vitality were in two groups as follows ; for the subjects rated from 1-3 in regard to their need for long term care-occlusal support in the molar region and diet-related independence ; for the subjects rated as 4 or 5- the swallowing and cognitive functions.
Our results suggest that vitality is correlated with the oral function in elderly individuals who require assistance with their long term care.
