Clinical evaluation of the oral health status in vascular-type dementia patients. A case-control study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health status in patients with vascular dementia (VaD). Moreover, the association of the disease severity and the patients' cognitive and functional impairment with the oral findings have been recorded.

The study was directed on the study group (86 VaD patients) and the control group (82 healthy volunteers of the same age) from the IRCSS Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo in Messina, Italy. Cognitive status was evaluated with the MMSE scoring system. Oral parameters, such as decaying, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index, plaque index (PI), periodontal probing depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were evaluated in all patients. Denture condition and denture-induced stomatitis were also analysed. The frequency of untreated caries, periodontal diseases and missing teeth of the Study Group was significantly higher than in Control Group.

Particularly, VaD patients presented higher number of decayed teeth and deeper periodontal pockets. Decreased cognitive functions in VaD patients have been demonstrated to result in a decline of denture care and increased denture-related mucosal lesions.

These results underlined that clinicians should direct high attention to oral hygiene of patients with VaD in order to prevent the evolution of those pathologic dental and periodontal conditions, especially in patients with decreased cognitive functions.