How Do Changes in Oral Health and Chewing Efficiency Affect the Changes of Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life of Nursing-Home Residents in the Short Term?

Figures & data

Table 1 Participant Characteristics at Baseline and After Six Months (n = 114) and Drop-Outs (n = 36)

	Drop-Outs	Participant Characteristics at Baseline	Comparison Between Drop-Outs and Included Participants at Baseline (p-value)	Participant Characteristics at Six-Month Follow-Up
Age	82.4 (10.8)	82.0 (9.5)	0.559	82.5 (9.5)
Gender
Women	25 (69.4%)	88 (77.2%)	0.472	88 (77.2%)
Men	11 (30.6%)	26 (22.8%)		26 (22.8%)
MMSE	20.0 (8.6)	18.9 (8.4)	0.338	17.3 (9.0)
Care level
0	1 (2.8%)	3 (2.6%)	0.491	2 (1.8%)
1	2 (5.6%)	4 (3.5%)		3 (2.6%)
2	7 (9.4%)	38 (33.3%)		36 (31.6%)
3	11 (30.6%)	35 (30.7%)		37 (32.5%)
4	14 (38.9%)	28 (24.06%)		27 (23.7%)
5	1 (2.8%)	6 (5.3%)		9 (7.9%)
Body mass index	26.6 (5.4)	28.0 (7.0)	0.376	27.8 (6.8%)
Nutritional status
Good	27 (75.0%)	93 (81.6%)	0.053	80 (70.2%)
Reduced	6 (16.7%)	20 (17.5%)		26 (22.8%)
Bad	3 (8.3%)	1 (0.9%)		8 (7%)
Number of teeth	12.8 (9.9)	9.2 (9.6)	0.043	8.9 (9.3)
Natural teeth
Yes	30 (83.3%)	77 (67.5%)	0.106	77 (67.5%)
No	6 (16.7%)	37 (32.5%)		37 (32.5%)
Treatment needs
Yes	31 (86.1%)	89 (78.1%)	0.416	97 (85.1%)
No	5 (13.9%)	25 (21.9%)		17 (14.9%)
Pressure	(n = 23)
Yes	18 (78.3%)	0 (79.5%)	1	92 (80.7%)
No	5 (21.7%)	18 (20.5%)		22 (19.3%)
Total denture status
FDP/ natural teeth	14 (38.9%)	31 (27.2%)	0.236	31 (27.2%)
RDP	8 (22.2%)	19 (16.7%)		17 (14.9%)
CD	9 (25.0%)	50 (43.9%)		44 (38.6%)
ENP	5 (13.9%)	14 (12.3%)		22 (19.3%)
Number of functional occluding pairs	7.7 (4.8)	7.7 (4.7)	0.998	4.9 (3.6)
Denture condition (n = 87/86)
Adequate	8 (22.2%)	9 (33.3%)	1	20 (23.3%)
Inadequate	15 (41.7%)	58 (66.7%)		66 (76.7%)
Chewing efficiency (n = 111/106)	0.5 (0.3)	0.6 (0.3)	0.557	0.5 (0.3)
Subjective evaluation of chewing efficiency (n = 111/106)
1	12 (34.3%)	45 (40.5%)	0.409	49 (46.2%)
2	4 (11.4%)	25 (22.5%)		16 (15.1%)
3	8 (22.9%)	19 (17.1%)		20 (18.9%)
4	10 (28.6%)	20 (18.0%)		17 (16.0%)
5	1 (2.9%)	2 (1.8%)		4 (8%)
GOHAI (n = 108)	21.3 (3.1)	20.5 (3.5)	0.148	20.2 (3.7)

Notes: The five categories for subjective evaluation of chewing efficiency are: 1 = chewing gum not mixed, impressions of cusps or folded once; 2 = large parts of chewing gum unmixed; 3 = bolus slightly mixed, but bits of unmixed original colour remain; 4 = bolus well mixed, but colour not uniform; 5 = bolus perfectly mixed with uniform colour. Chewing efficiency: inadequate mixing has a greater variance of hue than complete mixing. Significant p-values are marked in bold. Data are presented as means (SD) or counts (frequency).

Abbreviations: MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination; FDP, fixed dental prosthesis; RDP, removable dental prosthesis; CD, complete denture; ENP, edentulous with no prosthesis; GOHAI, Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (min: 0, max=24); n, number of participants.

Table 2 Univariate Regression Analysis with GOHAI Difference as the Dependent Variable and Changes in Dental Target Variables Over the Study Period as Independent Variables

Variable	C	95% CI LB	95% CI UB	p-value
Change in GOHAI (n = 108)
Age	−0.014	−0.085	0.058	0.709
Gender	−0.119	−1.701	1.463	0.882
Change in body mass index	0.015	−0.322	0.352	0.930
Change in MMSE score	−0.076	−0.266	0.114	0.430
Change in number of teeth	0.387	−0.313	1.088	0.276
Change in number of occluding pairs	0.195	0.015	0.376	0.034
Change in presence of own teeth	2.821	−2.100	7.741	0.258
Change in total denture status	−0.313	−2.272	2.101	0.798
Change in level of care needed	0.302	−1.821	2.425	0.778
Change in total treatment needs	−1.968	−3.984	0.047	0.056
Change in nutritional status	−0.144	−1.935	1.646	0.873
Change in malnutrition	1.280	−5.683	8.244	0.716
Change in chewing function, objective (n = 101)	−1.024	−4.062	2.015	0.505
Change in chewing function, subjective (n = 101)	0.193	−1.356	1.742	0.805

Note: Significant p-values are marked in bold.

Abbreviations: C, regression coefficient; LB, lower boundary; UB, upper boundary; GOHAI, Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index; MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination; n, number of participants.

Table 3 Univariate Regression Analysis with GOHAI as the Dependent Variable and Changes in Dental Target Variables of Denture Wearers Over the Study Period as Independent Variables

Variable	C	95% CI LB	95% CI UB	p-value
Change in GOHAI (n = 83)
Age	−0.031	−0.115	0.052	0.458
Gender	−0.321	−2.175	1.533	0.731
Change in body mass index	−0.011	−0.397	0.376	0.957
Change in MMSE score	−0.019	−0.249	0.212	0.259
Change in number of teeth	0.623	−0.467	1.713	0.259
Change in number of occluding pairs	0.234	0.039	0.430	0.019
Change in presence of own teeth	2.775	−2.353	7.903	0.285
Change in total denture status	−0.391	−2.939	2.156	0.761
Change in level of care needed	−0.833	−4.527	2.861	0.655
Change in total treatment needs	−2.611	−4.976	−0.247	0.031
Change in nutritional status	−0.576	−2.754	1.601	0.600
Change in malnutrition	1.222	−6.032	8.476	0.738
Change in denture condition	−2.946	−4.827	−1.065	0.003
Change in pressure	−1.124	−3.364	1.116	0.321
Change in chewing function, objective (n = 79)	−1.651	−5.495	2.193	0.395
Change in chewing function, subjective (n = 79)	−0.076	−1.855	1.702	0.932

Note: Significant p-values are marked in bold.

Abbreviations: C, regression coefficient; LB, lower boundary; UB, upper boundary; GOHAI, Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index; MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination; n, number of participants.

Table 4 Multivariate Linear Regression Model After Stepwise Selection of Variables Using the p-value with Different Dependent Variables

Variable	Coefficient	95% CI LB	95% CI UB	p-value
Change in GOHAI (n = 108)
Intercept	0.593	−0.264	1.456	0.176
Change in number of occluding pairs	0.212	0.034	0.390	0.020
Change in total treatment needs	−2.169	−4.150	−0.189	0.032

Note: Significant p-values are marked in bold.

Abbreviations: GOHAI, Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index; LB, lower boundary; UB, upper boundary; n, number of participants.

Table 5 Multivariate Linear Regression Model After Stepwise Selection of Variables Using the p-value with Different Dependent Variables for Denture Wearers Only

Variable	Coefficient	95% CI LB	95% CI UB	p-value
Change in GOHAI (n = 83)
Intercept	0.4462	−0.390	1.282	0.291
Change in denture condition	−2.946	0.945	−3.117	0.003

Note: Significant p-values are marked in bold.

Abbreviations: GOHAI, Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index; LB, lower boundary; UB, upper boundary; n, number of participants.