The impact of cognitive function the assessment of oral health-related quality of life in elderly stroke patients

WANG Yue; CHEN Xi; YUAN Dong; GUO Cui; ZHANG Qianqian; SONG Dandan; WANG Nan

doi:10.19749/j.cn.cjgd.1672-2973.2025.06.005

Abstract：Objective To explore the impact and underlying mechanisms of cognitive function on the assessment of oral health-related quality of life(OHRQoL)among elderly stroke patients.Methods A cross-sectional study design was adopted.From October 2015 to January 2020,247 elderly stroke patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited from the outpatient departments of Xuanwu Hospital,Tiantan Hospital,Xihongmen Hospital in Daxing District,and Beijing Stomatological Hospital using the convenience sampling method.According to the scores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale,they were divided into 111 cases with moderate to severe cognitive impairment(≤20 points),95 cases with mild cognitive impairment(21-25 points),and 41 cases with normal cognitive function(≥26 points).The Oral Health Impact Profile-14(OHIP-14)was used to assess the oral health-related quality of life(OHRQoL),and standardized oral clinical examinations and cognitive function tests related to oral conditions were conducted.The differences between different cognitive function groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test,and a structural equation model was constructed for path analysis.Results The moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment group showed significantly lower scores in the"Pain and Discomfort"dimension and the total OHIP-14 scores compared to the mild cognitive impairment group(P<0.05).Path analysis indicated that cognitive function indirectly affects the assessment of OHRQoL through the complete mediating effect of oral health awareness.Conclusion Elderly stroke patients with moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment may inaccurately assess their OHRQoL due to diminished awareness of their oral health status.