Abstract
Studies in industrialized nations suggest that severe edentulism correlates with cognitive impairment, but there is little information on this association in underserved populations. We conducted a community-based study to assess whether edentulism associates with cognitive impairment in elders living in rural Ecuador. Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door census and evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Persons were classified into two groups according to whether they have severe edentulism (<10 remaining teeth) or not. In addition, a questionnaire allowed self-rating of oral health. A total of 274 persons (mean age 69.6 ± 7.7 years; 59 % women) were included. Persons with <10 remaining teeth (n = 116) have significantly lower MoCA scores than those with ≥10 teeth (n = 158), after adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, depression and dementia (β = −1.06, p = 0.03). Self-rated poor oral health was more prevalent among persons with <10 teeth (p < 0.0001), but did not correlate with MoCA scores (good vs. poor, β = −0.89, p = 0.89). Severe edentulism is associated with poor cognitive performance in elders living in rural Ecuador. Public health campaigns directed to improve oral health may facilitate early recognition of persons with cognitive impairment in underserved populations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1097-1100 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Community Health |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
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Keywords
- Cognitive impairment
- Community-dwelling elders
- Developing countries
- Edentulism
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment
- Oral health
- Tooth loss
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health(social science)
Cite this
Edentulism Associates with Worse Cognitive Performance in Community-Dwelling Elders in Rural Ecuador : Results of the Atahualpa Project. / Del Brutto, Oscar H.; Gardener, Hannah; Del Brutto, Victor J.; Maestre, Gladys E.; Zambrano, Mauricio; Montenegro, Jipson E.; Wright, Clinton B.
In: Journal of Community Health, Vol. 39, No. 6, 01.01.2014, p. 1097-1100.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Edentulism Associates with Worse Cognitive Performance in Community-Dwelling Elders in Rural Ecuador
T2 - Results of the Atahualpa Project
AU - Del Brutto, Oscar H.
AU - Gardener, Hannah
AU - Del Brutto, Victor J.
AU - Maestre, Gladys E.
AU - Zambrano, Mauricio
AU - Montenegro, Jipson E.
AU - Wright, Clinton B
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Studies in industrialized nations suggest that severe edentulism correlates with cognitive impairment, but there is little information on this association in underserved populations. We conducted a community-based study to assess whether edentulism associates with cognitive impairment in elders living in rural Ecuador. Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door census and evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Persons were classified into two groups according to whether they have severe edentulism (<10 remaining teeth) or not. In addition, a questionnaire allowed self-rating of oral health. A total of 274 persons (mean age 69.6 ± 7.7 years; 59 % women) were included. Persons with <10 remaining teeth (n = 116) have significantly lower MoCA scores than those with ≥10 teeth (n = 158), after adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, depression and dementia (β = −1.06, p = 0.03). Self-rated poor oral health was more prevalent among persons with <10 teeth (p < 0.0001), but did not correlate with MoCA scores (good vs. poor, β = −0.89, p = 0.89). Severe edentulism is associated with poor cognitive performance in elders living in rural Ecuador. Public health campaigns directed to improve oral health may facilitate early recognition of persons with cognitive impairment in underserved populations.
AB - Studies in industrialized nations suggest that severe edentulism correlates with cognitive impairment, but there is little information on this association in underserved populations. We conducted a community-based study to assess whether edentulism associates with cognitive impairment in elders living in rural Ecuador. Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door census and evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Persons were classified into two groups according to whether they have severe edentulism (<10 remaining teeth) or not. In addition, a questionnaire allowed self-rating of oral health. A total of 274 persons (mean age 69.6 ± 7.7 years; 59 % women) were included. Persons with <10 remaining teeth (n = 116) have significantly lower MoCA scores than those with ≥10 teeth (n = 158), after adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, depression and dementia (β = −1.06, p = 0.03). Self-rated poor oral health was more prevalent among persons with <10 teeth (p < 0.0001), but did not correlate with MoCA scores (good vs. poor, β = −0.89, p = 0.89). Severe edentulism is associated with poor cognitive performance in elders living in rural Ecuador. Public health campaigns directed to improve oral health may facilitate early recognition of persons with cognitive impairment in underserved populations.
KW - Cognitive impairment
KW - Community-dwelling elders
KW - Developing countries
KW - Edentulism
KW - Montreal Cognitive Assessment
KW - Oral health
KW - Tooth loss
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84912033404&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84912033404&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10900-014-9857-3
DO - 10.1007/s10900-014-9857-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 24627152
AN - SCOPUS:84912033404
VL - 39
SP - 1097
EP - 1100
JO - Journal of Community Health
JF - Journal of Community Health
SN - 0094-5145
IS - 6
ER -