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Dental health, nutritional status and recent-onset dementia in a Korean community population
- Authors:
- KIM Jae-Min, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(9), September 2007, pp.850-855.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Dental health is an important determinant of nutritional status, but has not been investigated as a risk factor for dementia. This study aimed to investigate the association between number of teeth, use of dentures and recent-onset dementia. This was a cross-sectional analysis nested within a prospective study of community dwelling elderly residents in two areas of Kwangju, South Korea. In a study of 686 community residents aged 65 or over without dementia followed over 2.4 years, measures of dental health were compared between those with and without dementia at follow-up. Fewer teeth were significantly associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. This association was strongest in participants without dentures. Strong associations were found between fewer teeth and indices of poor nutrition in this group, but these did not account for the association with dementia. Having fewer teeth may be a marker of risk for dementia. This might be explained by specific nutritional deficits, or by other side effects of periodontal disease. Further prospective research is indicated.
The prevalence of dementia in a metropolitan city of South Korea
- Authors:
- KIM Jungsoon, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(7), July 2003, pp.617-622.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
There are few studies on the prevalence of dementia in South Korea. This study was designed to estimate the prevalence rate of dementia in a metropolitan city of South Korea, Busan. This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study of 1101 residents aged 65 or over in a metropolitan city (Busan) as of 31 December 2001 who were selected with the stratified three-stage cluster sampling. Dementia was assessed by two-stage examination with Mini-Mental State Examination - Korean version (MMSE-K), psychometric measures and the Barthel index. Crude and sex-age adjusted prevalence rate were obtained. The crude rate was 7.4% (men 2.4%, women 10.5%). The sex-age adjusted rate was 7.0% (men 2.5%, women 9.0%) and 8.0% (men 2.7%, women 10.0%) when adjusted with Busan and whole Korean population, respectively. These results were lower than those of other domestic studies. This is the first well-designed total-population based epidemiologic study on the prevalence rate of dementia of the aged residing in Busan city. Further studies for evaluating the relationships with type and severity of dementia are needed.
Diagnosing dementia in a developing nation: an evaluation of the GMS-AGECAT algorithm in an older Korean population
- Authors:
- KIM Jae-Min, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(4), April 2003, pp.331-336.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Numbers of older people are increasing rapidly in many developing nations and there is a pressing need for epidemiological studies of psychiatric morbidity, particularly dementia. Valid methods for case identification are an important first step. The Geriatric Mental State (GMS) is a widely used diagnostic instrument but has received little formal evaluation in developing nations. The objective of this study was to investigate the screening properties of GMS organic disorder with respect to clinically diagnosed dementia in an older Korean population, about half of whom have received no formal education. 746 people aged 65+ in Kwangju, South Korea who were participants in a community survey of psychiatic morbidity, completed a GMS interview (with diagnoses assigned through the AGECAT computerised algorithm) and, independently, received a clinical assessment for dementia. GMS organic disorder was diagnosed in 262 participants (35%) and DSM-IV dementia in 110 (15%). Increased age, female gender and lower education independently predicted disagreement between the two diagnoses. In these groups, GMS sensitivity to a clinical diagnosis of dementia remained high but specificity was markedly reduced. Dementia may be overestimated in developing nations if the GMS-AGECAT diagnosis of organic disorder is used alone. The validity of other diagnoses, such as affective disorder, may also be affected if the hierarchical diagnostic algorithm is used (i.e. where the diagnosis of organic disorder affects the likelihood of other diagnoses).