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Oral health in Alzheimer’s disease: a multicenter case-control study

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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this case-control study was to carry out an oral health assessment on a group of Alzheimer’s patients and to establish a hypothesis regarding the implication of the characteristics of the disease and the treatment of oral health.

Materials and methods

A total of 70 Alzheimer’s patients, residents at the Alzheimer Center Reina Sofia Foundation (Madrid, Spain) and at the Alzheimer State Reference Center (Salamanca, Spain), and 36 controls (companions/acquaintances), were studied by oral examination and saliva sampling. The oral health indices DMFT/DMFS, CPI, the prosthetic condition, oral hygiene, saliva volume, and pH, as well as the specific microbiological parameters governing the risk of developing caries were assessed.

Results

Alzheimer’s patients exhibited, as compared to the control group, (1) fewer teeth (10.9 ± 10.5 vs 23.7 ± 6.5), (2) fewer obturations (2.2 ± 3.4 vs 6.6 ± 5.6), (3) fewer periodontally healthy sextants (0.1 ± 0.4 vs 1.4 ± 2.2), (4) worse oral hygiene (43.1 vs 72.2% brushed), (5) greater use of removable prostheses (47.8 vs 8.4%), (6) higher incidence of candida infection (11.8 vs 0.0%) and cheilitis (15.9 vs 0.0%), (7) lower salivary flow (0.6 ± 0.6 vs 1.1 ± 0.6), and (8) lower buffering capacity (46 vs 80%).

Conclusions

After taking into account the influence of age, Alzheimer’s patients had worse oral health (caries and periodontal disease), more mucosal lesions (cheilitis and candidiasis), and worse saliva quantity and quality.

Clinical relevance

Clinicians should be aware of the implications of Alzheimer’s disease in oral health, in order to stablish the effective preventive measures and the optimal treatment plan.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Alzheimer Center Reina Sofia Foundation (Madrid, Spain), the Alzheimer and other Dementias State Reference Center (Salamanca, Spain) and their staff, and all of the participants who took part in the study for their collaboration and willingness to help.

Funding

This work was partially supported by the project number BIO/SA72/13 of the Regional Government of Castilla y León (Spain) and the Research Group (Avances en Salud Oral; GIR_USAL_2015) of the University of Salamanca (Spain).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Calle Alfonso X El Sabio s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    F. Aragón, J. Montero & A. Albaladejo

  2. Alzheimer Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Alzheimer Center Reina Sofia Foundation, Carlos III Institute of Health, Calle de Valderrebollo, 5, PC 28031, Madrid, Spain

    M. A. Zea-Sevilla & B. Frades-Payo

  3. Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, PC 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    P. Sancho, R. Corral & C. Tejedor

  4. Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, Av. de Blasco Ibáñez, 15, PC 46010, Valencia, Spain

    V. Paredes-Gallardo

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  1. F. Aragón
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  2. M. A. Zea-Sevilla
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  3. J. Montero
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  9. A. Albaladejo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Aragón.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Ethical Committee of the Institute of Health Carlos III (Madrid, Spain) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individuals participants included in the study.

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Aragón, F., Zea-Sevilla, M.A., Montero, J. et al. Oral health in Alzheimer’s disease: a multicenter case-control study. Clin Oral Invest 22, 3061–3070 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-018-2396-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-018-2396-z

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