Relación entre salud oral y salud mental en adultos mayores.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between oral health status—assessed via the DMFT index, the OHI-S, and tooth loss—and depressive symptoms in older adults treated at the Dental Clinic of the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil during the A-2026 period. Materials and methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study was conducted on 50 adults aged 60 or older, selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Medical records were reviewed to obtain DMFT components, OHI-S scores, and the number of missing teeth. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation, and Fisher's exact test were used, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered significant. Results: The median age was 65 years, and women predominated. The median DMFT score was 30, and the median number of missing teeth was 19. The majority exhibited good oral hygiene and had lost more than 10 teeth. Regarding depression, 60% were classified as normal, 38% showed moderate depressive symptoms, and 2% showed severe symptoms. Decayed teeth showed a weak, significant inverse correlation with depression scores. No significant relationships were found regarding missing teeth, filled teeth, OHI-S scores, or categories of tooth loss. Conclusion: No consistent relationship was found between oral health status and depressive symptoms. The observed inverse relationship with decayed teeth should be interpreted with caution.