Subject: Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Depression, and Oral Status in Elderly
Occupants of Residential Homes
Gianfranco Gassino, MD, DDS/Alessandro Cicolin, MD/Francesco
Erovigni, DDS/Stefano Carossa, MD, DDS/Giulio Preti, MD, DDS
International Journal of Prosthodontics July/August 2005 Volume
18 ,
Issue 4
Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a sleep
disorder
characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction.
Recently, it has been suggested that edentulism worsens sleep
apnea;
sleeping without dentures is associated with a significant
increase
in the apnea-hypopnea index. OSAS is also related to depression.
The
aim of this study was to assess, in a group of elderly occupants
in
residential homes in the Turin district of Italy, (1) the prevalence
of key symptoms and indicators of OSAS and the prevalence of
depressive feelings; (2) how the reduction of vertical dimension
of
occlusion (VDO) influenced the onset of OSAS; and (3) whether
a
relationship between OSAS and depression was present. Materials
and
Methods: The sample population consisted of 403 people (77%
men, 23%
women; age range, 65 to 90 years). The subjects underwent the
Italian
version of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess
their
mental condition. The remaining collaborating subjects completed
2
questionnaires to assess the risk of OSAS (Berlin Questionnaire)
and
depressive feelings (Beck Depression Inventory).
Results: Of the 403 elderly residents initially evaluated with
the
MMSE, 97 were excluded from the study, reducing the sample
size to
306 subjects (75% women, 25% men; mean age ± standard
deviation,
83.12 ± 11.10 years).The analysis of these data revealed
a
statistically significant association between the risk for
sleep
apnea and the VDO (P < .0001), and between sleep apnea and
depressive
feelings (P < .05).
Conclusion: This study revealed that inadequate VDO is closely
associated with the risk of OSAS, and that depressive feelings
are
more present if there is a high risk for OSAS.
[Int J Prosthodont 2005;18:316–322.]
