台北市長期照護機構老年住民咀嚼能力與口腔健康相關生活品質之探討

The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health-related quality of life among institutionalized elderly and to identify relevant factors associated with it. Cognitively coherent residents of 2 institutions in Taipei City were recruited for the study using a purposive sampling technique, and cross-sectional data were collected. In total, 224 subjects participated in this study. Information regarding demographic characteristics, chronic conditions, physical function, and cognitive function, and results of a geriatric oral health-related quality of life assessment (the Geriatric Oral health Assessment Index; GOHAI) were collected through face-to-face interviews, while information regarding dental, periodontal, occlusal, and prosthetic statuses were collected by trained dentists. Results showed that the mean GOHAI score was 50.7±7.90, with 44.2% of subjects scoring ＜50 After controlling for demographic characteristics, a multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the Eichner index, kinds of food taken , and functional dependency were significant predictors for GOHAI scores. The model explained 17.5% of the total variance Examining the 3 domains (physiological, social, and discomfort) of the GOHAI individually the results showed that the Eichner index was highly correlated with the physiological domain of GOHAI, but with neither the social nor discomfort domains. The model explained 30.2% of the variance in the physiological domain. The Eichner index was the most Important predictor of oral health-related quality of life among the institutionalized elderly in this study.