Patterns of tooth loss in older adults with and without dementia: A retrospective study based on a Minnesota cohort

Abstract

Objectives: To study tooth loss patterns in older adults with dementia. Design: Retrospective longitudinal study. Setting: A community-based geriatric dental clinic in Minnesota. Participants: Four hundred ninety-one older adults who presented to the study clinic as new patients during the study period, remained dentate after finishing the initial treatment plan, and returned for care at least once thereafter were retrospectively selected. One hundred nineteen elderly people with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes 290.x, 294.1, or 331.2 or a plain-text diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or chronic brain syndrome in the medical history were considered having dementia. INTERVENTION: All existing dental conditions were treated before enrollment. Dental treatment was continually provided for all participants during follow-up. Measurements: Tooth loss patterns, including time to first tooth loss, number of tooth loss events, and number of teeth lost per patient-year were estimated and compared for participants with and without dementia using Cox, Poisson, and negative-binomial regressions. Results: Participants with dementia arrived with an average of 18 and those without dementia with an average of 20 teeth; 27% of remaining teeth in the group with dementia were decayed or retained roots, higher than in the group without dementia (P