The Challenge of Evaluating the Oral Health Status of Older Persons in Latin America.

Knowledge Transfer Statement: This article provides an overview of the oral health status of older people from Latin American countries and the emergence of recent gerodontology research initiatives within the region.

Number of teeth and its association with central obesity in older Southern Brazilians.

UNLABELLED: Evidence suggests that older adults with extensive tooth loss may present dietetic restrictions and frequently choose softer and more processed foods, which consequently may lead to obesity. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether there was an association between dental status and central obesity in community-dwelling elderly. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: A simple random sample of 471 community-dwelling Brazilian elderly ranging from 60 to 89 years old was evaluated in 2006. A questionnaire on socio-demographic, behaviour, general and oral health variables was applied. The number of natural teeth and the use of dental prostheses, following the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, were assessed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The circumferences of the waist and the hip were measured in order to provide the waist circumference (WC) and the waist-hip ratio (WHR) measures. For both measures, participants were categorised as non-obese or obese according to the WHO-established cut-off points. RESULTS: Participants with more than 8 teeth were less likely to have central obesity, as measured by WHR [OR = 0.49 (0.32 to 0.87)], while participants with only 1-8 natural teeth were more likely to have central obesity when evaluated by WC [OR = 3.28 (CI 1.43 to 7.52)]. CONCLUSIONS: Tooth loss was associated with central obesity, even when controlled for confounders, suggesting a relationship between oral health status and nutritional status in this sample of community-dwelling Brazilian elderly. Preserving natural teeth may have a positive impact on the nutritional status of older adults and on obesity-related morbidity.

Healthy eating index in southern Brazilian older adults and its association with socioeconomic, behavioral and health characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess factors associated with the diet quality of brazilian older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: City of Carlos Barbosa, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 228 participants aged 60 and older. MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire with questions on socioeconomic and behavioral variables and health characteristics was used. The body mass index was calculated and the waist circumference was measured to provide information in respect to abdominal fat accumulation. Dietary data were collected via 24-hour recall and the diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index, an instrument that attributes scores to the diet according to the adequacy of intake of the main food and nutrient groups. Participants were divided into three categories, according to the Healthy Eating Index scores: under 51--poor diet; between 51 and 80--diet that needs improvement; over 80--good diet. The evaluation employed the analysis of variance, t test and non-conditional logistic regression to assess the association between the Healthy Eating Index and the other variables. RESULTS: Most participants (80.9%) presented diet that needs improvement and the marital status showed an independent association with the Healthy Eating Index--married individuals showed higher odds of presenting good diet. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that, in general, the diet quality of this group needs improvement and that the marital status is a factor that can be considered for the development of activities to promote health and healthy food intake habits.

Edentulism, use of dentures and consumption of fruit and vegetables in south Brazilian community-dwelling elderly.

There is evidence suggesting that edentulous older persons modify their diet, avoiding foods that are difficult to chew, such as fruit and vegetables; meanwhile, the consumption of these foods is associated with prevention of chronic diseases. However, few studies evaluated whether a poor oral status without prosthetic rehabilitation is associated with a reduction in the consumption of fruit and vegetables in community-dwelling older persons. We evaluated the association of oral status with emphasis on complete dentures use with the daily consumption of at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables, following the recommendations of the WHO. A random sample of 282 south Brazilians ≥60 years of age was evaluated. Measurements included a questionnaire to assess sociodemographic, behaviour, and health data; consume of fruit and vegetables by means of a 24-h diet recall, and oral status assessment, by means of oral examinations assessing the number of teeth and use of dental prosthesis. Multivariate Poisson regression showed that the only variable significantly associated with inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables was edentulism with the use of only one denture [PR=1·75 (1·11-2·74)]. Edentulous participants wearing only one denture were less likely to consume at least 400 g day(-1) of fruit and vegetables. These results indicate that, in edentulous community-dwelling elderly, oral health rehabilitation might play an important role in the maintenance of consumption of adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables, which is an important component of a healthy diet and also in the prevention of chronic diseases.