Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud oral en pacientes con hiposalivación y/o disfagia en la Clínica de Adulto Mayor en la Universidad Santo Tomás

Abstract

Introduction: The quality of life related to oral health constitutes an essential component of the overall well-being of older adults, as it reflects how oral conditions affect basic functions such as eating, communication, autonomy, and social interaction. Alterations such as hyposalivation, which reduces oral lubrication and hinders physiological processes, and dysphagia, which compromises swallowing and increases the risk of malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration, generate an impact that transcends the biological sphere and also affects psychological and social aspects. Objective: To determine the relationship between the quality of life related to oral health and the disorders of hyposalivation and dysphagia in older adults treated at the Elderly Clinic of the Universidad Santo Tomás during the first semester of 2025. Materials and methods: An observational analytical case-control study was conducted with 83 older adults, classified according to their scores on the OHIP-14 questionnaire. Hyposalivation was assessed through the measurement of unstimulated salivary flow over five minutes, categorized as normal (>0.25 ml/min), low (0.1–0.25 ml/min), and very low (<0.1 ml/min), while dysphagia was evaluated with the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10), considering a score ≥3 as an indicator of clinical risk. Results: The sample included 31 cases (37.3%) with poor quality of life and 52 controls (62.7%) with good quality of life. No significant association was found between hyposalivation and quality of life (p = 0.835), but a significant relationship was observed between dysphagia and quality of life (p < 0.001), being more prevalent in the cases (57.9%) than in the controls (30.7%). Conclusion: Isolated hyposalivation does not behave as a determining factor, whereas dysphagia is consolidated as a key predictor of deterioration in quality of life, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach in geriatric dental care.