Effects of Dental Treatment on QOL of Old People in Nursing Home

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16592099
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Social dentistry
• Research Institution: The Nippon Dental University
• Principal Investigator: EZURA Akira The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, Professor, 新潟歯学部, 教授 (40130653)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SUETAKA Takehiko The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, Professor, 新潟歯学部, 教授 (40112966) ; KUROKAWA Hiroomi The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, Assistant professor, 新潟歯学部, 助教授 (30147847) ; KOMATSUZAKI Akira The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, Assistant professor, 新潟歯学部, 助教授 (60256980) ; ENDO Toshiya The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, Assistant professor, 新潟歯学部, 助教授 (80152015) ; HASEGAWA Yuh The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, lecturer, 新潟歯学部, 講師 (80339465)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2005
• Keywords: dependent elderly / dental treatment / T-scan II^<【○!R】> / salivary flow rate / halitosis / photogrammetric analysis of soft tissue facial profile

Research Abstract

[Background and Objectives]
There are studies which show that dental treatment has a beneficial effect on the quality of life (QOL) of the dependent elderly. Most of the studies assess the QOL based on the findings of oral examinations, patients' complaints, the efficiency of mastication and the state of oral cleanliness. In the present study, to add to these, we examined the occlusal contacts of opposing teeth, changes in the salivary flow rate and changes in the morphology of the oral region including the upper and lower jaws by use of conditioned facial photographs after dental treatment in order to evaluate the effects of the treatment on the activities of daily living (ADL) and QOL.
[Subjects and Methods]
The subjects were inmates at a long-term nursing-care insurance facility in Niigata. They were patients who were receiving treatment by our home dental care team. As controls, the users of a similar facility in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, participated in this study. We investigated the oral environment, the fit of dentures, occlusal contacts, dry mouth, facial morphology by use of photographs and BDR index for assessment of independence for brushing, denture wearing and mouth rinsing. Furthermore, to assess the state of health, we looked into the ADL, the degree of independence in the daily living of the disabled elderly and the dementia elderly, medical history, and behavior.
[Results and Discussion]
The results compared between the treatment group and the control group.
1. Conditioned facial photographs revealed a marked recession of the upper and lower lips and a significant enlargement of the nasolabial angle (prn-sn-ls) in the treatment group.
2. Occlusal contact tests using T-scan II showed that the occlusal balance of opposing teeth on both sides was notably well in the treatment group.
3. Upon examination by use of a handy moisture checker, the degree of moisture in the buccal mucosa was better in the treatment group than in the control group.
4. Halitosis measurements showed there was no difference between the two groups.
All these results suggest that dental treatment have had favorable effects on the QOL of the dependent elderly.