Relationship between dental occlusion and functional dependence in elderly Caucasians

Objective

To determine whether a relationship exists between the number of functional masticatory units (FMUs) and the level of functional dependence of elderly.

Subjects and Methods

The study group comprised 502 elderly Caucasians living in nursing homes in north-west Spain and Portugal. The number of FMUs was counted on direct visual inspection. The degree of dependence was assessed using the Barthel index. The results were validated in a group of 156 elderly. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using a generalised linear model (GLM), a logistic GLM, a ROC-GLM curve and a confusion matrix.

Results

The number of FMUs significantly affected the Barthel index score (explained deviance = 27.5%). The number of FMUs was significantly associated with a lower probability of dependence, both for women (explained deviance = 31%) and for men (explained deviance = 33%). The model based on FMUs showed a good discriminatory capacity for dependence (AUC = 0.84 in women and 0.82 in men). The predictive capacity of the dependence model based on FMUs was very high (sensitivity = 0.9 in women and 0.8 in men).

Conclusions

In institutionalised elderly Caucasians, the number of FMUs is significantly associated with the Barthel index score and could be a predictive factor for dependence.

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