Masticatory Function and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life After Immediate Prosthetic Therapy for Geriatric In-Hospital Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objectives: The impact of dental and oral health conditions on the oral health state and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQL) in geriatric in-hospital (GIH) patients requires clarification. For this reason, this exploratory and hypothesis-generating study aimed to examine the associations between intra-oral risk factors (IRFs), masticatory functions (MFs), and treatment satisfaction (TS) in this context. Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled a total of 81 patients requiring immediate prosthetic treatment (IPT) by consultant dentists at Sana Hospital, Coburg, Germany. The evaluation focused on oral and dental state and MFs such as a modified DMFT and Eichner Index (EI), as well as on IRFs such as inflammation, mucogingival junction insufficiency (MGJI), severe bone crest atrophy (SBCA), and oral pain. The outcomes were measured after IPT using MF improvement (MFI) as the primary outcome and TS as the secondary outcome. Results: The outcomes (p < 0.05) were evaluated using objective measures such as the calculations of the EI, the EI modifications and the modified DMFT index. The results were associated, respectively, with the different IRFs and with specific SBCA. A total of 85% of GIH patients suffered from severe bone crest atrophy (SBCA), which showed a significant association with MF measured using EI after IPT (p = 0.001). MFI after IPT was associated with the EI before IPT (p < 0.000). The achieved MFI was finally associated with the untreated sample (all patients, p < 0.000) and with the presence or absence of the following IRFs at baseline: inflammation (p < 0.003), absence of oral pain (p < 0.000), presence of SBCA (p < 0.000), and absence of MFI (p < 0.000). A total of 78% of GIH patients confirmed treatment satisfaction (TS) after IPT, which was significantly and strongly associated with SBCA (p < 0.003). Conclusions: Oral health was primarily impaired by SBCA and can be measured by the analysis of EI and DMFT associations, which provided MFI and TS as outcomes for OHRQL.