Relationship between oral hygiene and function and activities of daily living at discharge in convalescent patients with stroke.

Oishi K, Nishioka S, Okazaki Y, Hirakawa K, Nakamura M, Ichinose A, Kurihara M. Relationship between oral hygiene and function and activities of daily living at discharge in convalescent patients with stroke. Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2022; 13: 17-25.

Objective: This study was designed to examine the relationship between improvement in oral hygiene and function and activities of daily living (ADLs) at discharge in patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards.

Methods: Eligible criteria were patients with stroke with a score of 13 or higher (i.e., severe oral problems) on the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG) at admission. Age, gender, primary diseases, rehabilitation dose, dentist visits and denture status, Eichner classification, eating status at admission and discharge, and body mass index at admission were collected. The patients were classified into two groups: those with ROAG scores of less than 9 points at discharge (good ROAG group) and those with scores of 9 points or more (poor ROAG group), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gain and total FIM discharge scores were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: The good and poor ROAG groups comprised 126 and 366 patients, respectively. The good ROAG group had significantly higher total FIM score, FIM efficiency, and FIM gain at discharge than the poor ROAG group (112 vs. 82; P < 0.001). The ROAG scores at discharge were independently associated with FIM gain (partial regression coefficient = -9.889, 95% confidence interval = -13.499 to -6.279) and total FIM score at discharge.

Conclusion: Improvement in oral hygiene and function in convalescent patients with stroke was associated with ADLs at hospital discharge.