Materials and Method: A total of 287 elderly people participated in this study. Sociodemographic data was obtained by using a questionnaire inquiring about age, gender, marital status, education level, medical conditions and medication use. For each person, organoleptic measurements were made and VSC levels were measured with halimeter. Halitosis was diagnosed if the average level of VSC was ≥125 ppb and the organoleptic measurement using 0-5 point scale was ≥2. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis Variance Analysis, Spearman correlation coefficient tests were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Halimeter and organoleptic measurements showed the prevalence of halitosis to be 90.5%. There was a significant correlation between the level of VSC and organoleptic measurements (p<0.001, r=0.858). Halitosis was significantly higher among males than females. There was no significant relation between halitosis measurements and age variable. Halitosis was significantly higher in individuals with diabetes mellitus and individuals taking anti-diabetic medications (p<0.01).
Conclusion: Significant associations were found between halitosis and history of diabetes mellitus, anti-diabetic medication use, gender, and lower education levels.
Keywords : Aged; Halitosis; Nursing Homes