Dental caries experience and use of prescription medications among people aged 60+ in South Australia

Abstract

Medication has long been implicated as a potential risk factor for dental caries among elderly people, although epidemiological studies have reported inconsistent associations between medication usage and dental caries experience. This paper aimed to describe the frequency of medication usage, and to examine associations between medication usage and dental caries experience among non-institutionalized persons aged 60+ years in South Australia. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect interview data about prescription medication usage from 1,650 people. Oral examinations were conducted among 848 people to obtain information about coronal and root canes experience. The number of prescribed medications taken ranged from 0 to 17, and the mean number taken was 1.8 (sd, 1.9). This was higher in older subjects and females. Four medication categories accounted for almost three-quarters of the medications taken; of those, cardiovascular drugs (including diuretics) accounted for three, with analgesics the only non-cardiovascular class. Subjects taking 3 or more prescription medications had a higher Root Caries Index (RCI, mean = 14.43; P < 0.01) than those taking one or two (mean = 11.50), and those who were taking none (mean = 12.02). Examination of particular medication types revealed that people who took antidepressants and antiulcer drugs had significantly higher RCI values (P < 0.05). There was only a moderate association between medication usage and root caries experience which may be attributable to xerogenic effects of medication, or non-causal associations with underlying medical conditions.