4 A Cross-Sectional Study of the Oral Health and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life of Older Adults Admitted to An Acute Hospital in the North East of England

Introduction Oral health has a strong relationship with general health, wellbeing and quality of life. The importance of establishing and protecting oral health in older adults is increasingly recognised. Admission to an acute hospital can be a good opportunity to assess and intervene with oral health, however data on the oral health of this population are very sparse. Methods A cross-sectional study of adults aged over 65 admitted to the acute medical ward within the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, Northumberland. Ethical approval was granted and all participants gave written consent. Data were obtained via verbal questions and a bedside visual examination by a dentist. Recorded were—gender, age, time since last dental visit, current oral symptoms, number of teeth present, number of decayed teeth, requirement for dental treatment, global oral health including health of hard and soft tissues and oral hygiene using the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) and oral-health-related quality of life using the Gohai scale. Results 32 participants took part, 16 male and 16 female, of average age 81.9 (range 69–94). Time since last dental visit ranged from a few months to 30+ years. 14 complained of oral dryness and 7 of loose dentures. 15 had no current oral symptoms. 18 participants had no teeth. The remainder had an average of 13.3 teeth of which 5.8 were restored. 22 had dentures. 9 had active dental disease requiring treatment. OHAT score (with 0 indicating perfect health and 14 the worst score) mean 3.6. Gohai score (scored from 12 indicating best to 60 indicating worst quality of life) mean 19.4 and range 14–33. Conclusions The dental status of this group is variable but this study indicates the presence of troublesome oral symptoms and active dental disease requiring treatment, with a significant number not having seen a dentist for some time.