Impact of oral health status on oral health-related quality of life in Chinese hospitalised geriatric patients

Objectives To examine the oral health status of Chinese hospitalised geriatric patients and identify its impacts on their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Design Cross-sectional correlational study. Setting Geriatric wards of a regional hospital in Hong Kong. Subjects A consecutive sample of Chinese hospitalised geriatric patients (N = 155) aged >= 65 years who were communicable. Measurements The Brief Oral Health Status Examination (BOHSE) was used to evaluate oral status. The General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was used to assess OHRQoL. Results The oral health status of the Chinese hospitalised geriatric patients was fair, with the more prominent problems being decayed teeth, lack of occluded teeth, coated tongue, excessive tartar, dry and rough red oral tissue and diseased gum. The GOHAI score indicated their compromised OHRQoL. By using hierarchical regression analysis, fewer than eight pairs of occluding teeth (beta = -0.33, P < 0.001), unhealthy gum (beta = -0.26, P = 0.03) and perceived oral dryness (beta = -0.18, P = 0.04) significantly accounted for 17% of variance in the OHRQoL of Chinese hospitalised geriatric patients. Conclusion This study suggests that routine screening for dental and gum problems, providing adequate adaptation of denture prosthesis and reducing oral dryness of geriatric patients may be important care to optimise the OHRQoL of Chinese hospitalised geriatric patients. The study needs to be replicated in larger-scale multicentre settings and incorporate the use of more-comprehensive oral assessment indices.