Lene Hystad Hove

Dry mouth is a common and burdensome condition in older adults and its severity may increase with use of anticholinergic medications. The aims were to describe anticholinergic medication use among acutely ill older adults, examine the association between anticholinergic burden and dry mouth severity using the composite Dry Mouth Severity Points (DMSP) measure and investigate whether the association differs by sex. Patients ≥70 years admitted to Oslo municipal inpatient acute care unit were eligible. Anticholinergic burden (ACB) was assessed using the ACB calculator and classified as 0, lower (ACB = 1-2) or high (ACB = ≥ 3). Dry mouth severity was quantified with DMSP, range 0-4, assigning one point for each indicator above cut-off: General Xerostomia Question ≥ 3, Summated Xerostomia Inventory ≥ 11, Clinical Oral Dryness Score ≥ 6 and unstimulated whole saliva secretion rate ≤ 0.1 mL/min. Associations were examined with ordinal logistic regression. Of 382 examined patients, 256 (mean age 84 ± 7 years, 70% women) had complete data. Mean [standard deviation (SD)] ACB score was 2.0 (1.7); 18% had ACB = 0, 50% had ACB = 1-2 and 32% had ACB = ≥ 3. DMSP scores of 0, 1, 2 and ≥ 3 were present in 29%, 36%, 23% and 12%, respectively. Compared with patients with ACB = 0, those with ACB = 1-2 [odds ratio (OR) = 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-3.97) and ACB = ≥ 3 (OR = 2.25, 95% CI 1.09-4.63) had higher odds of more severe dry mouth. Women had significantly higher ACB and DMSP scores than men. Even lower anticholinergic burden was associated with greater dry mouth severity, highlighting the need for early recognition and proactive management in acutely ill older adults.

Background: Polypharmacy in older adults is associated with inappropriate prescribing and adverse drug events. In a previous trial, we demonstrated improved Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) following medication reviews by geriatricians and general practitioners in home-dwelling older adults. Whether similar benefits can be achieved during acute admissions in primary care remains unclear. Objective: To assess the effect of collaborative medication reviews during acute admissions to a Municipal Inpatient Acute Care (MIPAC) unit. Methods: In this single-blind, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial, patients ≥70 years using ≥6 regular medications admitted to a MIPAC unit in Oslo, Norway, were randomised 1:1 to receive either a structured medication review or usual care. The intervention involved assessment by MIPAC physicians specialised in general practice, geriatric supervision and discussion with the patient’s general practitioner. The primary outcome was HRQoL measured with the 15D instrument at 16 weeks. Secondary outcomes included physical and cognitive function, oral health, healthcare utilisation and mortality. Results: We included 137 participants (mean age 85 years, 69% women; 67 intervention, 70 control). At 16 weeks, there was no significant difference in 15D scores between groups (mean difference 0.009; 95% CI, −0.063 to 0.079; P = .8). The intervention group had more medication changes during admission, but differences diminished post-discharge. No differences were observed in secondary outcomes. Conclusion: Collaborative medication reviews during acute primary care admissions did not improve HRQoL. The findings underscore the need for longitudinal, patient-centred strategies initiated in clinically stable phases.

Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of apical periodontitis (AP) and root-filled teeth in a 65-year-old population in Oslo, Norway, and to investigate associations of pathosis and endodontic treatment with selected individual risk indicators and technical quality of root fillings.Material and methods: A random sample of 450 65-year-olds in Oslo answered a questionnaire and underwent a clinical and radiological examination (52% men and 48% women). Periapical radiographs were taken of all root-filled teeth and of teeth with apical radiolucency, and periapical status was evaluated using the Periapical Index. Apex-to-filling distance and homogeneity were assessed for all root fillings. Analyses on individual level and tooth level were performed. The outcome variables were ‘non-root-filled tooth with AP’ (‘untreated AP’), ‘root-filled tooth’, and 'root-filled tooth with AP’. The explanatory variables were gender, education, dental attendance pattern, smoking, remaining teeth (n), tooth group, and root filling quality. Chi-square test and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the associations between outcome variables and explanatory variables. The level of significance was set top < 0.05.Results: The mean number of remaining teeth was 26 (SD: 4). AP was present in 45% of the individuals. Sixteen percent of the individuals had untreated AP and 38% had at least one root-filled tooth with AP. Sixty-six percent of the individuals had one or more root-filled teeth. Untreated AP was significantly associated with a decreasing number of remaining teeth and smoking. All the outcome variables were significantly more prevalent in molars compared with premolars and anterior teeth. Thirty-five percent of the root-filled teeth had AP, and AP was more prevalent in teeth with too short apex-to-filling distance (53%) or unsatisfactory homogeneity (46%).Conclusions: The remaining number of teeth was high, and AP and root-filled teeth were prevalent in the present young-elderly population. A notable amount of untreated AP was observed, especially in smokers. The findings in the present study indicate a substantial need for dental care associated with endodontic conditions in the future elderly.

Background: Number of teeth is an established indicator of oral health and is commonly self-reported in epidemiological studies due to the costly and labor-intensive nature of clinical examinations. Although previous studies have found self-reported number of teeth to be a reasonably accurate measure, its accuracy among older adults ≥ 70 years is less explored. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of self-reported number of teeth and edentulousness in older adults and to investigate factors that may affect the accuracy of self-reports. Methods: This study included two different samples of older adults ≥ 70 years drawn from the fourth wave of the Trøndelag Health Study (the HUNT Study), Norway. Sample 1 (n = 586) was used to evaluate the validity of self-reported number of teeth and sample 2 (n = 518) was used to evaluate self-reported edentulousness. Information on number of teeth and background variables (education, smoking, cognitive function, and self-perceived general and oral health) were self-reported in questionnaires, while clinical oral health examinations assessed number of teeth, number of teeth restored or replaced by fixed prosthodontics and edentulousness. Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients, Bland–Altman plot, chi-square test and kappa statistics were used to assess the agreement between self-reported and clinically recorded number of teeth. Results: The mean difference between self-reported and clinically recorded number of teeth was low (− 0.22 teeth), and more than 70% of the participants reported their number of teeth within an error of two teeth. Correlations between self-reports and clinical examinations were high for the total sample (0.86 (Spearman) and 0.91 (Pearson)). However, a lower correlation was found among participants with dementia (0.74 (Spearman) and 0.85 (Pearson)), participants having ≥ 20 teeth (0.76 (Spearman) and 0.67 (Pearson)), and participants with ≥ 5 teeth restored or replaced by fixed prosthodontics (0.75 (Spearman) and 0.77 (Pearson)). Self-reports of having teeth or being edentulous were correct in 96.3% of the cases (kappa value 0.93, p value < 0.001). Conclusions: Among older Norwegian adults, self-reported number of teeth agreed closely with clinical tooth counts and nearly all the edentulous participants correctly reported having no teeth.

Analyses of meibography may help in the diagnosis, prevention, and management of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). However, there is currently a paucity of data regarding meibography analyses in the young elderly populations in the Nordic countries. In the current study, meibography of the upper and lower eyelids of 117 65-year-old residents in Oslo, Norway, who did not fulfil the diagnosis of dry eye disease (DED) were analysed. Meibomian gland (MG) dropout and tarsal areas were measured semi-automatically using ImageJ software. The relationship between morphological features of the MGs and clinical dry eye tests was examined. The median percent MG dropout was 26.1% and 40.7% in the upper and lower eyelids, respectively. There was no significant difference between males and females. None of the MG morphological parameters demonstrated significant values in discriminating abnormal dry eye symptom loads or MGD diagnosis from the normal loads. We therefore concluded that moderate MG atrophy was common among the Norwegian population of 65-year-olds without DED and showed no sexual differences. Meibography alone cannot discriminate MGD from non-MGD; thus, both morphological and functional MG tests are necessary when screening for MGD.

Background: An ageing population leads up to increasing multi-morbidity and polypharmacy. This demands a comprehensive and interprofessional approach in meeting patients’ complex needs. This study describes graduate students’ experiences of working practice based in interprofessional teams with complex patients’ care needs in nursing homes. Method: Students from advanced geriatric nursing, clinical nutrition, dentistry, medicine and pharmacy at the University of Oslo in Norway were assigned to groups to examine and develop a care plan for a nursing home patient during a course. Focus groups were used, 21 graduate students participating in four groups. Data were collected during spring 2018, were inductively analysed according to a thematic analysis method (Systematic Text Condensation). An analytical framework of co-ordination practices was applied to get an in-depth understanding of the data. Results: Three themes were identified: 1) Complex patients as learning opportunities- an eye-opener for future interprofessional collaboration 2) A cobweb of relations, and 3) Structural facilitators for new collective knowledge. Graduate university students experienced interprofessional education (IPE) on complex patients in nursing homes as a comprehensive learning arena. Overall, different co-ordination practices for work organization among the students were identified. Conclusions: IPE in nursing homes facilitated the students’ scope from a fragmented approach of the patients towards a relational and collaborative practice that can improve patient care and strengthen understanding of IPE. The study also demonstrated the need for preparatory teamwork training to gain maximum benefit from the experience. Something that can be organized by the education institutions in the form of a stepwise learning module and as an online pre-training course in interprofessional teamwork. Further, focusing on the need for well thought through processes of the activity by the institutions and the timing the practice component in students’ curricula. This could ensure that IPE is experienced more efficient by the students.

This study aimed to describe the prevalence and associated factors for xerostomia and hyposalivation in a young‐elderly population. A random sample of 460 65‐yr‐old people living in Oslo, Norway, answered a questionnaire and underwent a clinical examination (237 men and 223 women; response rate 58%). Ten percent of respondents reported xerostomia. The median Summated Xerostomia Index was 6 (interquartile range [IQR]: 5–7) and the median Clinical Oral Dryness Score was 2 (IQR: 1–3). The median unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) secretion rate was 0.34 (IQR: 0.20–0.53) mL min^–1 and the median stimulated whole saliva (SWS) secretion rate was 1.74 (IQR: 1.24–2.38) mL min^–1. In 8% of the study participants the UWS secretion rate was ≤0.1 mL min^–1 and in 4% the SWS secretion rate was ≤0.7 mL min^–1. Three percent of the study participants had both xerostomia and hyposalivation with respect to UWS. Xerostomia was significantly associated with medication use, having rheumatic disease, and having received radiation therapy to the head/neck region. Hyposalivation with respect to UWS and SWS was significantly associated with medication use and type II diabetes. Even though xerostomia and hyposalivation were not prevalent conditions in this population, clinicians should be especially aware of the salivary conditions in patients taking four or more medications, patients diagnosed with type II diabetes, and those who have undergone radiation therapy to the head/neck region.

Although radiotherapy is a common form of treatment for head and neck cancer, it may lead to tissue damage in the salivary and lacrimal glands, possibly affecting cytokine expression in the gland fluid of treated individuals. Cytokine profiles in saliva and tear fluid of 29 radiated head and neck cancer patients and 20 controls were screened using a multiplex assay. Correlations between cytokine expression and clinical oral and ocular manifestations were examined, and cellular pathways influenced by these cytokines were assessed using the Functional Enrichment Analysis Tool. Significantly elevated cytokines identified in patient saliva were CCL21, IL-4, CX3CL1, CCL2, CXCL1 and CCL15. Many of these cytokines correlated positively with objective signs of oral dryness, and reduced saliva production in the patients. Although CCL21 and IL-4 levels were significantly lower in patient tear fluid, they correlated with subjective ocular symptoms. These increased salivary cytokines affected pro-inflammatory and apoptotic cellular pathways, including T cell signalling, several interleukin signalling pathways, TNF and TGF-β receptor signalling, and the apoptotic p53 pathway. In conclusion, the upregulated salivary cytokines identified suggest an interplay between innate and adaptive immunity, affecting immunoregulatory cellular pathways. Whether this is due to late effects of radiotherapy or tissue repair remains to be investigated.

Senses of smell and taste, saliva flow, and dental status are considered as important factors for the maintenance of a good nutritional status. Salivary secretory rates, chemosensory function, burning mouth sensation, halitosis and dental status were investigated in 58 patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), 22 non-Sjögren’s syndrome sicca (non-SS) patients, and 57 age-matched healthy controls. A significantly greater proportion of patients with pSS and non-SS had ageusia, dysgeusia, burning mouth sensation, and halitosis compared to controls. Patients with pSS had significantly lower olfactory and gustatory scores, and significantly higher caries experience compared to controls. Patients with pSS and non-SS patients had significantly lower unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva secretory rates compared to controls. The findings indicated that several different aspects of oral health were compromised in both, patients with pSS and non-SS, and this may affect their food intake and, hence, their nutritional status. Although non-SS patients do not fulfill Sjögren’s syndrome classification criteria, they have similar or, in some cases, even worse oral complaints than the patients with pSS. Further studies are needed to investigate food preferences, dietary intake, and nutritional status in these two patient groups in relation to their health condition.