Mastication and oral health-related quality of life in removable denture wearers with Alzheimer disease.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Alzheimer disease (AD) can affect masticatory function, affecting oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Whether oral rehabilitation with conventional removable prostheses can restore masticatory function and improve OHRQoL in these individuals is unknown.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the influence of oral rehabilitation with removable prostheses on masticatory efficiency and OHRQoL in elders with and without AD.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two elders with mild AD (n=16, mean age=76.7 ±6.3 years) or without AD (n=16, mean age=75.2 ±4.4 years) were recruited. All participants first underwent masticatory efficiency and OHRQoL evaluations, and 2 months after insertion of new removable prostheses, the variables were reassessed. Masticatory efficiency was determined using the sieving method, and OHRQoL was measured by applying the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). The data from the baseline and after insertion of the new removable prostheses were compared by paired t test. Group differences at each time point were assessed by t test (α=.05).

RESULTS: After insertion of the new removable prostheses, masticatory efficiency and OHRQoL improved in both the elders with AD and the control. At baseline, elders with AD had lower masticatory efficiency and higher OHRQoL than controls (P<.05). After removable prosthesis insertion, elders with AD continued to show lower masticatory efficiency values than controls, but their OHRQoL was similar.

CONCLUSIONS: Oral rehabilitation with new removable prostheses improved the masticatory efficiency and OHRQoL of elders with and without AD, although masticatory efficiency did not reach control levels in elders with AD.