Orofacial dyskinesia and senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

Seventy-eight patients between the ages of 65 and 91 years with a diagnosis of semile dementia of the Alzheimer type were included in this study. They were assessed for the presence of abnormal movements using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and their cognitive functioning was assessed using the Mini Mental Test. Seventy-nine per cent of the patients had evidence of orofacial dyskinesia. Those patients with abnormal movements had greater degrees of cognitive impairment than those without. Orofacial movements were more common than similar movements of the extremities or trunk. Individuals with abnormal movements also tended to have higher levels of paranoid ideation.