Oral Health Status, Dietary Intake, and Oral Health-related Quality of Life among Institutionalized Elderly in Bangalore.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary intake and oral health status and how oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) influences the institutionalized elderly population of Bangalore.

Methods And Materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted to appraise the oral health and dietary intake of institutionalized elderly. Patients completed a validated questionnaire and a clinical evaluation. CPI index, loss of attachment (LoA), DMFT, prosthetic status, and prosthetic necessity were utilized to contrast OHQoL using the Chi-square test. The diet and OHQoL were compared using ANOVA.

Results: This study surveyed 400 institutionalized elderly populations. The average age of the sample was 70.02 ± 8.149 years. LoA and DMFT were significantly associated with GOHAI's functional domain ( = 0.000). CPI ( = 0.049) and DMFT index ( = 0.003) were associated with GOHAI pain/discomfort and psycho-social domains. The psycho-social domain was associated with an upper arch prosthesis status ( = 0.010). Subjects with good OHQoL consumed 1961.19 ± 479.33 calories, while those with poor OHQoL consumed 1814 ± 432.41 calories ( = 0.002).

Conclusion: According to the study findings, periodontal disease, decay, and missing teeth impaired OHQoL. The OHQoL was significantly declined with dietary intake.