A study on the relationship between Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Subjective Memory Compaints (SMCQ) of the elderly in the community

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether there was a connection between oral health and memory loss in elderly individuals with no abnormalities in their daily lives and to identify factors affecting memory loss. Methods: This study aimed to identify an association between the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index and Subjective Memory Complaints for the elderly individuals living in the community. Results: The results of analyzing the oral health assessment according to the general characteristics of the study participants revealed that with increase in age, income (p=0.05) and oral health of the elderly living alone decreased compared to those living together in the family (p=0.05). Moreover, the lower the income (p=0.05), the higher was the memory loss for the elderly living alone than for the elderly living together with their family (p=0.05). Conclusions: The study identified a link between oral health of the elderly and subjective memory loss and observed that oral health, cohabitation, and income level were related to subjective memory loss. Therefore, oral health should be considered as a predictor of memory loss for the elderly.

Figures & Tables