Depressive Symptoms Associated with Tooth Loss in Elderly Patients Admitted to the San Francisco de Asís Nursing Home in Santo Domingo

Oral health significantly influences people's overall well-being, particularly among older adults.
Various instruments have been developed in dentistry to assess the impact of oral health on
areas such as self-esteem, social interaction, and quality of life. Tooth loss is not only an
aesthetic or functional issue; it also profoundly impacts the emotional state of geriatric
patients, causing symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Tooth loss can
also affect nutrition, phonetics, and communication.

This study, conducted at the San Francisco de Asís Nursing Home in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, aimed to evaluate the relationship between oral health and depressive
symptoms in older adult patients. The results revealed that most participants were men
(57.5%) with an average age of 75.7 years. 49.2% had poor oral hygiene, and 45% had lost
all their teeth. Regarding emotional state, 43.3% experienced mild depression, 13.3%
experienced moderate depression, and severe cases were rare (0.8%).

Based on these results, we concluded that oral health and tooth loss are significantly related
to the emotional state of older adult patients.