Influence of Prosthodontic Intervention on the Effect of Rehabilitation for Elderly Patients with Bone Fractures Caused by Falls

• Published in: Ronen Shika Igaku Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 304 - 310
• Main Authors: Tanioka, Tadasuke, Tanaka, Masahiro, Tanaka, Junko, Tanaka, Muto, Hayashi, Akiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Society of Gerodontology 2013; 一般社団法人 日本老年歯科医学会
• Subjects: fall; FIM; prosthodontic treatment; 補綴的介入; 転倒
• ISSN: 0914-3866; 1884-7323
• DOI: 10.11259/jsg.27.304

Depression of the equilibrium function is one of the causes of falls of the elderly. In dentistry, there are some reports that the occlusal supporting depletion influences the depression of the equilibrium function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of prosthetic treatment on the rehabilitation of patients admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation hospital after bone fractures caused by falls. Twenty eight non-dementia elderly patients (5 males, 23 females, mean age of 81.6±9.47 years old) who had bone fractures by falls and were in the convalescent rehabilitation hospital were selected as subjects. They were divided into two groups. One group consisted of 18 patients who received prosthodontic treatment after the intraoral examination on admission, due to loss of a tooth or poor prosthesis (intervention group), and the another group consisted of 10 patients (non-intervention group) who did not receive any prosthodontic treatment. BMI and sera albumin value were used to indicate the nutritional improvement. The motor subtotal score, cognitive subtotal score and “walk” score in the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were used to indicate the efficacy of the rehabilitation. Both groups data on admission and at discharge were compared and examined. While nutritional improvement showed no significant difference in the intervention group, there was a significant difference in the total FIM score. The non-intervention group showed significant difference in sera albumin value, but not in cognitive subtotal score and “walk” score. It was suggested that the intervention of prosthodontic treatment in a convalescent rehabilitation hospital had an important rehabilitation effect after bone fracture by fall.