Nutritional status and oral status of the elderly with dementia: a 2-year study

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00555.x Nutritional status and oral status of the elderly with dementia: a 2‐year study Objectives: To determine the relationship between denture wearing and nutritional status in the elderly with dementia. Background: There could be a correlation between nutrition, oral health, dietary habits, patients’ satisfaction, and their socio‐economic status in the elderly, and the relationship between compromised oral status and nutritional status in the elderly with dementia. Subjects and methods: A 2‐year follow‐up study of 63 elderly Japanese women with and without dentures from a nursing home was undertaken to investigate their oral, physical and mental, and nutritional status. Results: Each item for 2006 and 2008 in this study showed no significant difference between 2006 and 2008, except the calories/day. The elderly with dementia without complete dentures during the 2 years of the study only significantly decreased the mean of the calories/day. Conclusion: The calories/day of the elderly with dementia without dentures decreased after 2 years. Denture wearing for the elderly with dementia could be necessary to maintain a satisfactory intake of calories.