The Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and dementia screening
measures developed by Benton (temporal orientation, oral word association,
and visual reconstruction tasks) were compared for diagnostic efficacy with
geriatric inpatients manifesting depression without dementia or mild or
moderate dementias complicated by depression. Both instruments showed
generally acceptable differentiation between dementia and depression-only
cases overall. The MMSE was less sensitive in identifying mild and moderate
multi-infarct dementias but showed better specificity than the Benton
measures. The degree and type of dementia and the associated risk of
classification error were found to be important factors in the choice of
screening instruments.Abstract Teaser