Oral health of the elderly with Alzheimer's disease

• Autor(a) principal: Mariana Israelrocha
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Andréa Lopez Soto, Michelle Danielle Matias, Raquel Conceição Ferreira, Marco Túlio Gualberto Cintra, Maria Cassia Ferreira de Aguiar
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oooo.2012.03.028; http://hdl.handle.net/1843/57567; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3089-655X
• topic: Alzheimer disease; Oral health; Doença de Alzheimer; Saúde bucal

This cross sectional study aimed to describe the profile of elderly patients with Alzheimer disease in early stages and their oral health status. Study Design: 35 participants were evaluated with Minimental state (MEEM), 10-meter walking test and classified acording to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). Were included only patients CDR1 and CDR2. The oral health evaluation considered the use of removable prosthesis, presence of oral lesions and patient’s hygiene. Additionally, comorbidities, use of medicine, tobacco and alcohol were also registered. Results: There were 21 female and 14 male patients (mean age 76.1 years). The scores of MEEM ranged between 10 and 23 points; the mean value of 10-meter walking test was 0.57 m/s. The most frequent comorbidity was arterial hypertension and 28.5% of elderly used more than 7 drugs per day. Alcohol and tobacco intake was reported for 6 and 5 participants, respectively. The majority of the elderly (71.4%) wore a removable prosthesis, most of them in poor conditions and with deficient hygiene. Chronic erythematous candidiasis (5), Fordyce’s granules (5) and varicosities (5) were the most common alterations. Conclusion: The oral health status of elderly Alzheimer patients deserves attention and must be considered for the global planning treatment. Support: CNPq #309322/2015-4 - FAPEMIG