Salivary Parameters (Salivary Flow, pH and Buffering Capacity) in Stimulated Saliva of Mexican Elders 60 Years Old and Older

Objective: To compare a limited array of chewing-stimulated saliva features (salivary flow, pH and buffer capacity) in a sample of elderly Mexicans with clinical, sociodemographic and socio-economic variables. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 139 adults, 60 years old and older, from two retirement homes and a senior day care centre in the city of Pachuca, Mexico. Sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables were collected through a questionnaire. A trained and standardized examiner obtained the oral clinical variables. Chewing-stimulated saliva (paraffin method) was collected and the salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity were measured. The analysis was performed using non-parametric tests in Stata 9.0. Results: Mean age was 79.1 ± 9.8 years. Most of the subjects included were women (69.1%). Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow was 0.75 ± 0.80 mL/minute, and the pH and buffer capacity were 7.88 ± 0.83 and 4.20 ± 1.24, respectively. Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow varied (p < 0.05) across type of retirement home, tooth brushing frequency, number of missing teeth and use of dental prostheses. pH varied across the type of retirement home (p < 0.05) and marginally by age (p = 0.087); buffer capacity (p < 0.05) varied across type of retirement home, tobacco consumption and the number of missing teeth. Conclusions: These exploratory data add to the body of knowledge with regard to chewing-stimulated salivary features (salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity) and outline the variability of those features across selected sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables in a group of Mexican elders

Salivary Parameters (Salivary Flow, pH and Buffering Capacity) in Stimulated Saliva of Mexican Elders 60 Years Old and Older

Photograph of the exterior of the George M. Murrell Home. In 2018, the name officially changed to the Hunter's Home

Indicators of oral health in older adults with and without the presence of multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study

Horacio Islas-Granillo,1 Socorro Aida Borges-Ya&ntilde;ez,2 Jos&eacute; de Jes&uacute;s Navarrete-Hern&aacute;ndez,1 Miriam Alejandra Veras-Hern&aacute;ndez,1 Juan Fernando Casanova-Rosado,3 Mirna Minaya-S&aacute;nchez,3 Alejandro Jos&eacute; Casanova-Rosado,3 Miguel &Aacute;ngel Fern&aacute;ndez-Barrera,1 Carlo Eduardo Medina-Sol&iacute;s1,4 1Academic Area of Dentistry, Health Sciences Institute, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Pachuca, Mexico; 2DEPeI Faculty of Dentistry, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico; 3Faculty of Dentistry, Autonomous University of Campeche, Campeche, Mexico; 4Advanced Studies and Research Center in Dentistry &ldquo;Dr Keisaburo Miyata&rdquo;, Faculty of Dentistry, Autonomous University State of Mexico, Toluca, Mexico Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the distribution of various indicators of oral health among elderly people with and without multimorbidity (ie, two or more chronic diseases). Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted using a sample of Mexican elderly individuals aged &ge;60 years. The average age of the cohort was 79.06&plusmn;9.78 years, and 69.1% were women. The variables indicating oral health were as follows: functional dentition, edentulism, hyposalivation, xerostomia, root caries and periodontitis. The multimorbidity variable was operationally categorized as follows: 0= subjects with no chronic disease or one chronic disease and 1= subjects with two or more chronic diseases. Questionnaires were used to collect information on various variables regarding general health. Likewise, the participants underwent a clinical oral examination. The analysis was performed using Stata 11.0. Results: The overall prevalence of multimorbidity was 27.3%. The prevalences of various oral health indicators were as follows: without functional dentition 89.9%; hyposalivation 59.7%; edentulism 38.9% and self-reported xerostomia 25.2%. Dental caries were observed in 95.3% of the subjects, and the prevalence of severe periodontitis was 80%. We found a significant difference only in edentulism; its prevalence was higher among subjects with multimorbidity (55.3%&nbsp;vs 32.7%, P=0.015) than among those without multimorbidity. Conclusion: The presence of edentulism in this sample of Mexican older adults was higher in subjects with multimorbidity. Multimorbidity and oral diseases constitute a true challenge in elderly people, because they affect quality of life and are associated with high health care costs. Keywords: older adults, multimorbidity, oral health, edentulism, tooth los