Abstract
The subjects of this study were 24 people receiving care at a nursing healthcarefacility for the elderly.To obtain data on their dietary life, including the foods served at meals, ADL, and the level of nursing care needed, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Actually the questions were answered by the nurses attheir home. In addition, an oral examination was carried out. To evaluate the state of the intraoral environment and the conditions of dentures. Contingency table analyses were made to study the relationshipsbetween the types of meal group and systemic and oral healthstates.
It was found that the denture wearing (p<0.01) and the number of functionally normal teeth differedsignificantly depending on the contents of meals. This finding seemed to suggest that any increase in thenumber of functionally normal teeth could have a favorable influence on the diet.
The number of care items related to ADL (p<0.01) and BDR (p<0.01), and the level of nursing care needed (p<0.01) varied significantly depending on the contents of their diets.Thus, significant relationships wereevident between the systemic health state, conditions requiring nursing care and dietary life.
From these findings, it could be said that dentists should clearly understandthe contents of meals the elderly eat in the nursing home before treating them. By making contact with them more positively for themaintenance and upgrading of the oral function, it was suggested, dentistscould contribute to the improvement of their dietary life and the enhancement of their quality of life.
Further study is necessary for the improvement of the oral health of people requiring nursing carewho have yet to be fitted with dentures.
