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The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 63:495-500 (2008)
© 2008 The Gerontological Society of America

Cognitive Function and Oral Health Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Bei Wu, Brenda L. Plassman, Richard J. Crout and Jersey Liang

1 Center on Aging and Department of Community Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown.
2 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
3 School of Dentistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown.
4 School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Address correspondence to Bei Wu, PhD, Center on Aging and Department of Community Medicine, West Virginia University, P. O. Box 9127, One Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506. E-mail: bwu{at}hsc.wvu.edu

Background. Both oral health problems and cognitive impairment are relatively common among older adults. Poorer oral health appears to contribute to a decline in quality of life and to be related to various medical conditions. Little is known about the relationship of cognitive function to oral health among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods. The sample included 1984 dentate community-dwelling older adults 60 years old or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999–2002) who completed both the study cognitive measure and dental examination. Weighted descriptive and multivariate regression analyses were performed.

Results. Multivariate analyses showed that cognitive function was associated with oral health. Individuals with lower cognitive scores had a higher number of decayed and missing teeth and a higher proportion of periodontitis sites. The predicted number of decayed teeth increased by 0.01 with each 1-point decrease in the Digit Symbol Substitution Test score; the number of missing teeth increased by 0.02; and the percentage of sites with periodontal disease increased by 0.02. In addition, individuals' sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, and regular dental checkups were significantly associated with oral health.

Conclusions. This study suggests that community-dwelling elders with lower cognitive function scores have greater deterioration of oral health. This study provides a preliminary knowledge base for the development of early intervention strategies to address oral health problems among older adults.

Key Words: Cognitive function • Oral health • Older adults






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