Does Nutritional Status Affects Oral Health Related Quality of Life Among Elderly? A Cross-Sectional Study at A Tertiary Care Health Centre, Rishikesh, India

ABSTRACT

Aim: Present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of nutritional status on oral health related quality of life using Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) among geriatric population attend-ing outpatient department (OPD) of tertiary health care centre in Rishikesh. Settings and Design: Present cross-sectional study was conducted on geriatric male & female partici-pants attending Outpatients Department(OPD) of tertiary care centre, RISHIKESH. Methods and Material:Nutritional assessment was recorded by using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool. Oral health related quality of life was assessed using pre-validated Hindi version of Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire. Statistical analysis: Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test were applied using SPSS 22.0 Software. Logistic regression analysis was done to find out risk factors. Results:A total of 281 participants completed the questionnaire with mean age of 66.89 ± 6.43 years. About three fourth (73%) of total participants were at risk of malnourishment. A statistically significant difference (P=0.005) was observed when the median GOHAI scores were compared with nutritional sta-tus (MNA scores). Conclusions: A statistically significant difference was found between nutritional status and geriatric oral health related quality of life (GOHAI). Nutritional status affects oral health related quality of life among elderly population.