Depression, Functional Dependence, and Oral Health: Evidence from a Clinical Study of Older Spanish Adults
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Participants
2.3. Questionnaire Data
2.4. Smoking and Alcohol Consumption
2.5. General Health Data
- Severely underweight: BMI < 16.5 kg/m2
- Underweight: BMI 16.5–18.4 kg/m2
- Normal weight: BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2
- Overweight: BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2
- Obese: BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. This category was further subdivided into: (1) Class I obesity: BMI 30–34.9 kg/m2; (2) Class II obesity: BMI 35–39.9 kg/m2; (3) Class III obesity: BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 (also known as severe, extreme, or morbid obesity).
2.6. Oral Health Data
2.7. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Sample Characteristics
3.2. GDS Questionnaire Results and Correlations with Other Variables
3.3. Barthel Index (Functional Dependence Status)
3.4. Oral Health Status
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| GDS | Geriatric Depression Scale |
| BMI | Body Mass Index |
| MMSE | Mini-Mental State Examination |
| AUDIT-C | Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Short Form |
| MGI | Modified Gingival Index |
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| Item | Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are you basically satisfied with your life? | ||
| 2 | Do you continue to engage in your usual activities and interests? | ||
| 3 | Do you feel that your life is full and happy? | ||
| 4 | Do you find enjoyment in your daily activities? | ||
| 5 | Are you generally in good spirits most of the time? | ||
| 6 | Do you live your life without fear? | ||
| 7 | Are you content during the day? | ||
| 8 | Do you feel cared for or looked after? | ||
| 9 | Do you prefer going out of your home or room rather than staying in? | ||
| 10 | Is your memory satisfactory? | ||
| 11 | Do you think it’s great to be alive? | ||
| 12 | Do you feel useful as you are now? | ||
| 13 | Do you feel full of energy? | ||
| 14 | Do you believe your situation is not hopeless? | ||
| 15 | Do you think most people are worse off than you? | ||
| Total score | |||
| 0–5 = No depression 6–10 = Moderate depression 11–15 = Severe depression | |||
| Function | Score and Description |
|---|---|
| Feeding | 10 = Independent 5 = Needs help cutting food 0 = Dependent |
| Bathing | 5 = Independent 0 = Dependent |
| Grooming | 5 = Independent (face washing, hair, teeth, shaving) 0 = Dependent |
| Dressing | 10 = Independent 5 = Needs help 0 = Dependent |
| Bowel Control | 10 = Continent 5 = Occasional accident or needs help 0 = Incontinent |
| Bladder Control | 10 = Continent 5 = Occasional accident or needs help 0 = Incontinent |
| Toilet Use | 10 = Independent 5 = Needs some assistance 0 = Dependent |
| Transfers (bed to chair) | 15 = Independent 10 = Minimal help 5 = Major help 0 = Dependent |
| Mobility (walking/wheelchair) | 15 = Independent walking 10 = Needs supervision/help 5 = Independent in wheelchair 0 = Dependent |
| Stair Climbing | 10 = Independent 5 = Needs help 0 = Dependent |
| Levels of Dependence | |
| 100 = Independent 91–99 = Slight dependence 61–90 = Moderate dependence 21–60 = Severe dependence 0–20 = Total dependence | |
| GDS | No. Cases (n = 181) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| No depression | 92 | 50.83% |
| Moderate depression | 63 | 34.81% |
| Severe depression | 26 | 14.36% |
| No Depression (n = 92) | Moderate Depression (n = 63) | Severe Depression (n = 26) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age (years) | 76.22 ± 9.41 | 83.40 ± 8.50 | 83.92 ± 7.29 | <0.001 * |
| Gender | ||||
| Women (n = 109) | 48 (44.0%) | 44 (40.4%) | 17 (15.6%) | 0.074 ** |
| Men (n = 72) | 44 (61.1%) | 19 (26.4%) | 9 (12.5%) | |
| Smoking habit | ||||
| Non-smoker (n = 63) | 28 (44.5%) | 22 (34.9%) | 13 (20.6%) | 0.191 ** |
| <10 cigarettes/day (n = 16) | 7 (43.75%) | 9 (56.25%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| 10–20 cigarettes/day (n = 5) | 3 (60.0%) | 2 (40.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| >20 cigarettes/day (n = 10) | 5 (50.0%) | 5 (50.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Former smoker (n = 87) | 49 (56.3%) | 25 (28.7%) | 13 (15.0%) | |
| Alcohol consumption | ||||
| (0) Teetotaller (n = 83) | 40 (48.2%) | 25 (30.1%) | 18 (21.7%) (+) | 0.012 ** |
| (1) Man = 30 g/day + Woman = 20 g/day (n = 18) | 6 (33.3%) | 11 (61.1%) (+) | 1 (5.6%) | |
| (2) Man = 30–50 g/day + Woman = 20–32 g/day (n = 20) | 13 (65.0%) | 6 (30.0%) | 1 (5.0%) | |
| (3) Man = 51–120 g/day + Woman = 33–80 g/day (n = 11) | 9 (81.8%) (+) | 2 (18.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| (4) Man >120 g/day + Woman >80 g/day (n = 9) | 1 (11.1%) (−) | 6 (66.7%) (+) | 2 (22.2%) | |
| (5) Former drinker (n = 40) | 23 (57.5%) | 13 (32.5%) | 4 (10.0%) | |
| BMI | ||||
| Severe underweight (n = 0) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.016 ** |
| Underweight (n = 1) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (100.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Normal weight (n = 68) | 38 (55.9%) | 22 (32.3%) | 8 (11.8%) | |
| Overweight (n = 46) | 14 (30.4%) (−) | 20 (43.5%) | 12 (26.1%) (+) | |
| Class I obesity (n = 41) | 29 (70.7%) (+) | 8 (19.5%) (−) | 4 (9.8%) | |
| Class II obesity (n = 12) | 6 (50.0%) | 6 (50.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Class III obesity (n = 13) | 5 (38.5%) | 6 (46.1%) | 2 (15.4%) | |
| Antidepressant use | ||||
| No (n = 58) | 48 (82.8%) (+) | 10 (17.2%) (−) | 0 (0.0%) (−) | <0.001 ** |
| Yes (n = 123) | 44 (35.8%) (−) | 53 (43.1%) (+) | 26 (21.1%) (+) | |
| Use of other medications | ||||
| <5 medications (n = 63) | 38 (60.3%) | 20 (31.8%) | 5 (7.9%) | 0.093 ** |
| ≥5 medications (n = 118) | 54 (45.8%) | 43 (36.4%) | 21 (17.8%) | |
| Dry mouth sensation | ||||
| No (n = 118) | 60 (50.8%) | 42 (35.6%) | 16 (13.6%) | 0.899 ** |
| Yes (n = 63) | 32 (50.8%) | 21 (33.3%) | 10 (15.9%) |
| No Depression (n = 92) | Moderate Depression (n = 63) | Severe Depression (n = 26) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total dependency Severe dependency Moderate dependency Low dependency Independent | 0 (0.0%) (−) 8 (20.5%) (−) 28 (44.4%) 9 (100.0%) (+) 47 (85.5%) (+) | 14 (50.0%) 26 (66.7%) (+) 15 (34.9%) 0 (0.0%) (−) 8 (14.5%) (−) | 14 (50.0%) (+) 5 (12.8%) 7 (20.6%) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) (−) | <0.001 ** |
| Average Barthel Index score and SD | 87.77 ± 18.29 | 54.44 ± 29.92 | 28.85 ± 28.99 | <0.001 * |
| No Depression (n = 92) | Moderate Depression (n = 63) | Severe Depression (n = 26) | p Value * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean/SD | ||||
| Number of cavities | 3.13 ± 2.09 | 2.56 ± 2.76 | 1.85 ± 1.46 | 0.005 |
| Root caries | 2.21 ± 1.74 | 1.89 ± 2.11 | 2.19 ± 1.69 | 0.271 |
| Radicular remains | 1.42 ± 1.87 | 3.51 ± 3.83 | 6.69 ± 6.32 | <0.001 |
| No Depression (n = 92) | Moderate Depression (n = 63) | Severe Depression (n = 26) | p Value ** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MGI/Gingivitis | ||||
| Absent-normal Mild Moderate Severe | 19 (86.4%) (+) 42 (85.7%) (+) 28 (39.4%) (−) 3 (7.7%) (−) | 1 (4.5%) (−) 7 (14.3%) (−) 36 (50.7%) (+) 19 (48.7%) (+) | 2 (9.1%) 0 (0.0%) (−) 7 (9.9%) 17 (43.6%) (+) | <0.001 |
| Brushing frequency | ||||
| None Once Twice 3 times | 17 (41.5%) 23 (46.0%) 17 (50.0%) 35 (62.5%) | 13 (31.7%) 19 (38.0%) 12 (35.3%) 19 (33.9%) | 11 (26.8%) 8 (16.0%) 5 (14.7%) 2 (3.6%) | 0.067 |
| Use of water jet | ||||
| No Yes | 74 (49.0%) 18 (60.0%) | 52 (34.4%) 11 (36.7%) | 25 (16.6%) 1 (3.3%) | 0.159 |
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Abregú-Flores, C.E.; Ruiz-Sáenz, P.L.; Andrés-Veiga, M.; Fernández-Cáliz, F.; Meniz-García, C.; Martínez-Rodríguez, N. Depression, Functional Dependence, and Oral Health: Evidence from a Clinical Study of Older Spanish Adults. Diagnostics 2025, 15, 2934. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15222934
Abregú-Flores CE, Ruiz-Sáenz PL, Andrés-Veiga M, Fernández-Cáliz F, Meniz-García C, Martínez-Rodríguez N. Depression, Functional Dependence, and Oral Health: Evidence from a Clinical Study of Older Spanish Adults. Diagnostics. 2025; 15(22):2934. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15222934
Chicago/Turabian StyleAbregú-Flores, Carmen Esperanza, Pedro Luis Ruiz-Sáenz, María Andrés-Veiga, Fernando Fernández-Cáliz, Cristina Meniz-García, and Natalia Martínez-Rodríguez. 2025. "Depression, Functional Dependence, and Oral Health: Evidence from a Clinical Study of Older Spanish Adults" Diagnostics 15, no. 22: 2934. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15222934
APA StyleAbregú-Flores, C. E., Ruiz-Sáenz, P. L., Andrés-Veiga, M., Fernández-Cáliz, F., Meniz-García, C., & Martínez-Rodríguez, N. (2025). Depression, Functional Dependence, and Oral Health: Evidence from a Clinical Study of Older Spanish Adults. Diagnostics, 15(22), 2934. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15222934

