Periodontal Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Multivariate Analysis

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the association between oral health factors and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), evaluating their independent effects after adjustments for sociodemographic, medical, and behavioral confounders. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 248 older adults aged 60 years and above. Cognitive status was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Thai version (MoCA-T). Demographic, medical, and behavioral data were collected through structure interviews. Oral health assessments included active dental caries, periodontal disease, number of natural teeth, number of posterior occluding pairs, and masticatory performance, all measured through clinical examination. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using the enter method, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 68.7 years, and 73% were female. Of the 248 participants, 73 (29.4%) were identified as having MCI. After adjusting for age, marital status, education, occupation, income, hypertension, functional, and nutritional status, only periodontal disease remained significantly associated with MCI (adjusted OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.05-3.84, p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: Among the oral health factors examined, periodontal disease emerged as the only factor independently associated with MCI after adjustment for demographic, medical, and behavioral confounders.