Table 2.
Frequencies, including percentages, of the general subjective aspects of oral health and the often/occasional oral health complaints of the (dentate) Parkinson's disease patients (PD) and the (dentate) control subjects (control) and the results of the Chi-square test carried out to assess statistically significant differences (∗) between PD and control.
| Variables | PD | Control | Chi-square test |
|---|---|---|---|
| All persons: general subjective variables | n=74 | n=74 | |
| Educational level | |||
| (i) primary | 18 (24%) | 12 (16%) | |
| (ii) secondary | 21 (29%) | 35 (47%) | |
| (iii) tertiary | 34 (46%) | 27 (37%) | |
| (iv) missing value | 1 (1%) | — | χ (7) 2=11.947; P=0.102 |
| Smoking status | 6 (8.1%) | 6 (8.1%) | — |
| Length of time since the last oral health consultation | |||
| (i) less than half a year | 52 (70.3%) | 49 (66.2%) | |
| (ii) between a half and two years | 15 (20.3%) | 22 (29.8%) | χ (5) 2=5.704; P=0.336 |
| Number of oral health consultations during the previous five years | |||
| (i) 0 | 4 (5.4%) | 2 (2.7%) | |
| (ii) 1–5 | 13 (17.6%) | 17 (23.0%) | |
| (iii) 6–10 | 30 (40.5%) | 36 (48.6%) | |
| (iv) 11 or more | 27 (36.5%) | 19 (25.7%) | χ (6) 2=6.607; P=0.359 |
| Daily oral hygiene care supported by a professional or voluntary care provider | 11 (14.9%) | 1 (1.4%) | χ (1) 2=9.069; P=0.003∗ |
| Electric toothbrush used | 36 (48.6%) | 30 (40.5%) | χ (3) 2=3.091; P=0.378 |
|
| |||
| All persons: oral health complaints | n=74 | n=74 | |
| Chewing problems | 22 (29.7%) | 3 (4.1%) | χ (4) 2=18.973; P=0.001∗ |
| Biting problems | 26 (35.1%) | 7 (9.5%) | χ (4) 2=15.047; P=0.005∗ |
| Taste disturbance | 17 (23.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | χ (4) 2=19.523; P=0.001∗ |
| Burning mouth | 3 (4.1%) | 0 | χ (4) 2=8.0290; P=0.091 |
| Xerostomia | 48 (64.9%) | 24 (32.4%) | χ (4) 2=19.510; P=0.001∗ |
| Halitosis | 14 (18.9%) | 9 (12.2%) | χ (4) 2=7.037; P=0.134 |
| Remaining food particles | 52 (70.3%) | 51 (68.9%) | χ (4) 2=2.877; P=0.579 |
|
| |||
| Dentate persons: oral health complaints | n=65 | n=65 | |
| Tooth mobility | 12 (18.5%) | 2 (3.1%) | χ (3) 2=11.215; P=0.011∗ |
| Toothache | 10 (15.4%) | 6 (9.2%) | χ (3) 2=2.000; P=0.572 |
| Tooth sensitivity | 17 (26.2%) | 11 (16.9%) | χ (4) 2=4.500; P=0.343 |
| Painful gums | 12 (18.5%) | 7 (10.8%) | χ (4) 2=2.810; P=0.590 |
| Bleeding gums | 13 (20.0%) | 12 (18.5%) | χ (4) 2=5.826; P=0.213 |