The relationship between oral health status and biological and psychosocial function in the bedridden elderly

The present study was conducted in order to determine what item of biologic al and psychosocial function is related to oral health status in the bedrid den elderly. The subjects were 94 elderly individuals (30 males, 64 females ) who had been admitted to a nursing home in Chiba city, Japan. We assessed the number of remaining teeth and the number of functional teeth as oral h ealth status variables. Biological and psychosocial function levels were de termined using the functional independence measure method developed by the State University of New York at Buffalo. More than 70% of subjects had less than ten remaining teeth. Almost all subjects needed prosthesis treatment. More than 50% of subjects had 27 or less functional teeth. Mann-Whitney U- test and logistic regression models showed that 'expression' was concerned with the number of remaining teeth and 'bladder management', 'locomotion', 'transfers' were related to the number of functional teeth. These data sugg est close relation between oral health status and biological and psychosoci al function levels in the bedridden elderly. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd. All rights reserved.