Abstract
We investigated the association between poor self-rated oral appearance and the need for dental prostheses among elderly Brazilians. National data from an epidemiological survey on oral health in Brazil conducted from 2002 to 2003 by the Ministry of Health (SB, Brazil) with a multistage random sample of 4,839 individuals aged 65-74 years in 250 towns were analyzed. The dependent variable was self-rated oral appearance, dichotomized into "poor" (poor/very poor) and "good" (fair/good/very good). The main independent variable was the need for an upper or lower dental prosthesis. Other variables included sociodemographic characteristics, approach to dental care, oral health conditions, and self-reported oral disadvantage. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and Poisson regression models at a 95% significance level. The prevalence of poor self-rated oral appearance was 20.6% and was higher in the elderly who needed a partial or complete upper or lower prosthesis, independent of other variables. This prevalence was associated with age, the use of dental services, access to information about oral disease prevention, number of decayed teeth, self-perception of the need for treatment, dental pain, chewing ability, and the perception that oral health affects relationships with other people. The elderly who needed dental prostheses had a higher prevalence of poor self-rated oral appearance than those who did not need any.
Highlights
Self-rated health corresponds to one’s perception of personal health status in the social, cultural, and historical context.[1]
Several studies have identified factors associated with self-rated oral health in the elderly, including self-esteem, life satisfaction, income, dental attendance, sex, perception of treatment need, dental pain, untreated caries, and prosthetic status and need.[3,4,5,6]
Considering the large numbers of teeth lost among Brazilian elderly[7] and the possibility of rehabilitation with a dental prosthesis, we investigated the association between poor self-rated oral appearance and the need for a dental prosthesis in the elderly Brazilian population
Summary
Self-rated health corresponds to one’s perception of personal health status in the social, cultural, and historical context.[1]. Strongly associated with self-rated oral health.[3,4,5] Another study evaluated the factors associated with poor self-perception of mastication.[8]. Tooth loss and the need for prostheses were associated with poor self-rated oral health and mastication.[3,4,5,8] to our knowledge, no studies have evaluated factors associated with self-rated oral appearance among the elderly. Meng et al.[9] assessed the satisfaction with dental appearance in adults, adopting a multidimensional conceptual model of oral health. Their results demonstrated that satisfaction with appearance was associated with sociodemographic characteristics, approach to dental care, oral disease, and oral disadvantage. Considering the large numbers of teeth lost among Brazilian elderly[7] and the possibility of rehabilitation with a dental prosthesis, we investigated the association between poor self-rated oral appearance and the need for a dental prosthesis in the elderly Brazilian population
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