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Background <p>Oral health is central to healthy ageing, yet older adults often seek dental care only after substantial deterioration. This cross-sectional study describes oral health status, multimorbidity, and oral hygiene behaviours among first-time dental attendees aged ≥65 years, and examines behavioural and systemic correlates of functional tooth loss, including exploratory derivation of a composite framework, the Geriatric Oral Health Vulnerability Score (GOHVS).</p> Methods <p>Electronic health records of 361 patients (mean age 69.9±5.9 years; 61.8% female) attending a university dental clinic for the first time were retrospectively analysed. Systemic diseases, medication use, oral hygiene practices, smoking status, dental attendance, tooth count, and periodontal status were extracted from routine clinical records. Functional tooth loss was defined as fewer than 20 remaining natural teeth (WHO functional dentition benchmark). Multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for functional tooth loss. Independent correlates were then combined into an exploratory composite score (GOHVS), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis characterised its within-cohort discriminative properties.</p> Results <p>Hypertension (58.45%), dyslipidaemia (39.33%), and diabetes mellitus (20.5%) were the most common chronic conditions. Periodontitis was diagnosed in 53.7% of participants, and 48% lacked functional dentition. Toothbrushing less than twice daily (aPR = 1.41; p = 0.001), absence of interdental cleaning (aPR = 1.27; p = 0.019), irregular dental attendance (&lt;1 visit/year; aPR = 1.29; p = 0.006), current smoking (aPR = 1.36; p = 0.010), and multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases; aPR = 1.33; p = 0.002) were independently associated with functional tooth loss. The exploratory GOHVS, integrating these five variables, showed moderate within-cohort discrimination (AUC = 0.76).</p> Conclusions <p>Among older adults presenting for dental care for the first time, poor oral hygiene, smoking, irregular attendance, and multimorbidity jointly identified a subgroup at markedly higher risk of functional tooth loss, indicating that a small set of routinely collected behavioural and systemic variables can flag high-risk patients at initial presentation. The GOHVS illustrates how such variables can be combined into a simple exploratory framework; its regression-derived, single-cohort origin means generalisability requires prospective, externally validated testing.</p>

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Behavioural and systemic correlates of functional tooth loss and exploratory derivation of the Geriatric Oral Health Vulnerability Score (GOHVS) in older adults: a cross-sectional study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • Renata Samulak,
  • Nanxi Tao,
  • Katarzyna Krycka-Juraś,
  • Monika Machoy-Rakoczy

摘要

Background

Oral health is central to healthy ageing, yet older adults often seek dental care only after substantial deterioration. This cross-sectional study describes oral health status, multimorbidity, and oral hygiene behaviours among first-time dental attendees aged ≥65 years, and examines behavioural and systemic correlates of functional tooth loss, including exploratory derivation of a composite framework, the Geriatric Oral Health Vulnerability Score (GOHVS).

Methods

Electronic health records of 361 patients (mean age 69.9±5.9 years; 61.8% female) attending a university dental clinic for the first time were retrospectively analysed. Systemic diseases, medication use, oral hygiene practices, smoking status, dental attendance, tooth count, and periodontal status were extracted from routine clinical records. Functional tooth loss was defined as fewer than 20 remaining natural teeth (WHO functional dentition benchmark). Multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for functional tooth loss. Independent correlates were then combined into an exploratory composite score (GOHVS), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis characterised its within-cohort discriminative properties.

Results

Hypertension (58.45%), dyslipidaemia (39.33%), and diabetes mellitus (20.5%) were the most common chronic conditions. Periodontitis was diagnosed in 53.7% of participants, and 48% lacked functional dentition. Toothbrushing less than twice daily (aPR = 1.41; p = 0.001), absence of interdental cleaning (aPR = 1.27; p = 0.019), irregular dental attendance (<1 visit/year; aPR = 1.29; p = 0.006), current smoking (aPR = 1.36; p = 0.010), and multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases; aPR = 1.33; p = 0.002) were independently associated with functional tooth loss. The exploratory GOHVS, integrating these five variables, showed moderate within-cohort discrimination (AUC = 0.76).

Conclusions

Among older adults presenting for dental care for the first time, poor oral hygiene, smoking, irregular attendance, and multimorbidity jointly identified a subgroup at markedly higher risk of functional tooth loss, indicating that a small set of routinely collected behavioural and systemic variables can flag high-risk patients at initial presentation. The GOHVS illustrates how such variables can be combined into a simple exploratory framework; its regression-derived, single-cohort origin means generalisability requires prospective, externally validated testing.