Oral health matters in cognitive impaired aged residents in geriatric care facilities: A cross-sectional survey.
Lan Chen, Liyan Gu, Xianchen Li and 2 others
PMID 33570297WHAT IT FOUND
In 657 Shanghai geriatric residents, those with cognitive impairment had worse oral health than those without.
Only 9.9% had received an oral health assessment, and 26.3% received oral care.
Key findings
01Residents with cognitive impairment had worse overall oral health than residents without cognitive impairment.
02Only 9.9% of residents had received an oral health assessment, and 26.3% had received oral care.
03In adjusted analysis, receiving oral care was associated with better oral health (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.94).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done only in Shanghai, so the results may not apply to other places or care systems. The same nurse completed the cognitive assessment and the oral examination, which could introduce bias. Because it was cross-sectional, it cannot show whether cognitive impairment caused poor oral health, or whether receiving oral care improved oral health. Residents with serious medical problems or inability to cooperate were excluded, so the findings may not represent the most unwell residents.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state who funded the work, although the publication types list non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower odds of poor oral health among residents who received care (OR 0.63) as proof that oral care improves oral health. This was a cross-sectional survey, so the association could reflect who was chosen for care, and the same nurse performed both cognitive and oral assessments.