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Updated: May 8, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Cognitive function and oral health-related quality of life in older adults
Kyung Hee Lee1, Bei Wu, Brenda L Plassman
1School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Objectives:
To examine the relationship between cognitive function and self-reported oral health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in community-dwelling older adults.
Design:
Cross-sectional.
Setting:
Community in West Virginia.
Participants:
Two hundred twenty-six community-dwelling older adults.
Measurements:
Oral HRQoL was measured using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) (range 12-60), and cognitive function was assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Dental professionals performed oral health examinations.
Results:
Participants with normal cognitive function had higher GOHAI total scores (mean 55.1), indicating better oral HRQoL, than participants with cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND) (mean 52.3) and mild dementia (mean 51.0). The difference remained significant after controlling for sociodemographic, health status, comorbidity, and clinical dental status covariates.
Conclusion:
Oral HRQoL, as measured using the GOHAI, was better in participants with normal cognitive function than in those with CIND of mild dementia in the population studied.
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