Artículo de revista
Prevalence of Diseases and Conditions Which Impact on Oral Health and Oral Health Self-Care Among Older Chilean
Fecha
2015Registro en:
Journal of Aging and Health 2015, Vol. 27(1) 3– 16
0898-2643
DOI: 10.1177/0898264314533723
Autor
Mariño, Rodrigo
Albala Brevis, Cecilia
Sánchez Reyes, Hugo
Cea Nettig, Ximena
Fuentes García, Alejandra
Institución
Resumen
Objective: The aim is to describe the prevalence of chronic diseases
and conditions that may affect the oral health and oral health self-care of
independent living Chilean older adults. Method: In all, 4,766 residents aged
60 years and older took part in the study. Participants were interviewed
using an 11-module instrument, including demographic data, quality of life,
nutritional status, systemic diseases, and lists of medications. Results:
Participants with cognitive impediments (n = 553) were eliminated from
further analysis. Of the remaining 4,213, 61.2% were female. The mean
age was 71.1 (SD = 7.8) years. A total of 19.6% reported no medical
conditions, 53.1% reported one or two conditions, and 27.3% reported
between three and nine conditions. The most commonly reported
conditions were high blood pressure (78.0%), diabetes (26.5%), depression
(23.4%), and cardiovascular disease (18.7%). Seventy-six percent reported
taking medication, with an average of 3.4 drugs per person. Among those taking medication, 70.2% were taking at least one that may cause salivary
hypofunction. Discussion: With the aging of Chile and the reciprocal
links between oral disease and chronic diseases, policies and innovative
initiatives need to be implemented so that programs become affordable and
accessible for this population.