The effects of dental visits on the occurrence of acute hospitalization for systemic diseases among patients aged 75 years or older: A propensity score-matched study. (April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mitsutake, Seigo; Ishizaki, Tatsuro; Edahiro, Ayako; Kitamura, Akihiko; Hirata, Takumi; Saito, Atsushi
• Is Part Of: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics. Volume 107(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-04
• Subjects: Admission -- Big data -- Dental care -- Health services for the aged; MCSO Medical Care System for Older Adults aged 75 years or older -- UTI urinary tract infections -- LTCI Long-term care insurance -- ICD-10 International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision -- PS matching Propensity Score matching -- Risk ratios RRs -- CI confidence interval -- IPTW Inverse Probability Treatment Weighting -- ASD absolute standardized difference; Aging -- Periodicals; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 305.26
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2022.104876
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0167-4943

Abstract

Highlight: Hospitalization can be a burden for older adults and payers of medical insurance. A propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study was conducted. Dental visits would prevent acute hospitalization due to systemic diseases. The first to show the association of dental visit with the hospitalization by UTI. Dental care would be an important component of healthcare for older adults. Abstract: Background: Although several studies examined the association between oral status and the risk of systemic diseases, few have examined whether dental visits affect the occurrence of acute hospitalization due to systemic diseases. This study examined the effects of dental visits on preventing the occurrence of acute hospitalization due to systemic diseases in adults aged ≥ 75 years, in order to optimize the healthcare system for older adults. Methods: This propensity-score-matched retrospective cohort study was conducted using medical insurance claims data from Hokkaido, Japan. We analyzed 432, 292 adult outpatients aged ≥ 75 years between September 2016 and February 2017 (baseline period). The exposure variable was visits to the dental office during the baseline period. The primary outcome variable was the occurrence of acute hospitalization due to pneumonia, urinary tract infections, cerebrovascular diseases, or coronary heart diseases between March 2017 and March 2019. Results: Among the 432, 292 patients before propensity score matching, 149, 639 (34.6%) had visited the dental office. One-to-one propensity score matching produced 149, 289 matched pairs adjusted for the differences in all covariables (age, sex, copayment rate, annual health checkup, chronic diseases, and residential area). In these matched pairs, the risk ratio of the occurrence of acute hospitalization due to pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and cerebrovascular diseases was lower among patients who had visited dental office than among those who did not. Conclusions: Dental visits appeared to be effective in preventing acute hospitalization due to systemic diseases, thus, dental care services would be an important component of healthcare for older adults.