Avaliação da função mastigatória em idosos institucionalizados totalmente edêntulos

Abstract

The loss of all teeth corresponds to a chronic condition closely associated with reduced masticatory potential, one of the risk factors related to poor nutritional status, which is critical, especially in the elderly and individuals residing in Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF). The study aimed to evaluate general and prosthetic factors associated with masticatory performance (MP) in edentulous elderly living in LTCF. All elderly (aged 60 years) residing in LTCF the metropolitan region of Natal/RN, independent and with systemic and cognitive conditions that would allow the collection of data, were included. The masticatory performance was analyzed by the method of particle size analysis, after chewing an artificial food for the elderly. The crushed test food was subjected to a system of sieves and the weight of the particles on each sieve was used to determine the median particle size (X50) obtained by applying the Rosim-Rammler equation. In addition to the masticatory performance, the elderly were asked about aspects of their masticatory function. The independent variables were: sex, age, presence and number of chronic diseases, use of dentures (PT), time of use of dentures and technical quality of the PT (stability and lower PT retention, occlusion in centric relation and movements excursive). The non-parametric Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis test, chi-square test and Fisher's exact were used for data analysis (5% significance level). Of the 18 LTCF existing in the metropolitan area of Natal, 14 agreed to participate. The total number of elderly residents was 457, in which 247 were totally edentulous. Of these, 40 met our inclusion criteria and were enrolled. The results showed that MP was considerably lower in this population. The mean X50 was 6.93 mm (± 0.41). The absence of lower denture was high and the technical quality of the dentures was considered poor in 88.2% of cases. Of all the factors analyzed, only the use of upper and lower dentures was significantly related to better MP. Nevertheless, the majority of seniors reported not feeling any difficulty chewing food or discomfort when eating. Thus, it is concluded that the MP in the elderly residing in LTCF is low, especially for those who do not use lower dentures. However, this condition does not seem to compromise the evaluation of the elderly about their chewing experience.