Medical and Cognitive Correlates of Denture Wearing in Older Community-Dwelling Adults

Objectives: To examine the association between denture wearing and use of dental services, oral function limitations, and medical and cognitive status in a community‐based cohort of rural older adults enrolled in an epidemiological study. Design: This cross‐sectional study was part of a larger cohort study, the Monongahela Valley Independent Elders Survey. Dental data were collected during the fifth wave of assessments (10 years after the start of the study in 1987). Setting: Monongahela Valley, a rural western Pennsylvania community. Participants: The 805 participants were English‐speaking community‐dwelling (noninstitutionalized) persons, aged 73 and older, with at least a sixth grade education. Measurements: A questionnaire was used to collect data on denture‐wearing status, oral function limitations, and recency of the last dental visit. Other data collected included demographics, self‐rated health, medication usage, depression, cognitive status using the Mini‐Mental State Examination, and self‐reports of weight loss and appetite. Results: There were 44.7% of participants who had full dentures. Those with complete dentures were more likely to complain of oral function limitation, report poor health status, and take prescription medications. Additionally, 93.6% of those with complete dentures had not seen a dentist in more than 1 year. Conclusion: Denture wearing and edentulism are common in older patients and can be related to poor quality of life and risk for undiagnosed oral disease and may be a marker for other medical comorbidities. Geriatricians need to include oral health status evaluations and understand that attention to the oral cavity should be part of an older adult's care.