Abstract
PurposeTo identify demographic, socioeconomic and dental clinical predictors of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in elderly people.MethodsCross-sectional study involving 613 elderly people aged 65–74 years in Manaus, Brazil. Interviews and oral examinations were carried out to collect demographic characteristics (age and sex) and socioeconomic data (income and education), dental clinical measures (DMFT, need of upper and lower dentures) and OHRQoL (GOHAI questionnaire). Structural equation modelling was used to estimate direct and indirect pathways between the variables.ResultsBeing older predicted lower schooling but higher income. Higher income was linked to better dental status, which was linked to better OHRQoL. There were also indirect pathways. Age and education were linked to OHRQoL, mediated by clinical dental status. Income was associated with dental clinical status via education, and income predicted OHRQoL via education and clinical measures.ConclusionOur findings elucidate the complex pathways between individual, environmental factors and clinical factors that may determine OHRQoL and support the application of public health approaches to improve oral health in older people.
Highlights
The oral health of older people is increasingly important
Higher income was linked to better dental status, which was linked to better oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)
Age and education were linked to OHRQoL, mediated by clinical dental status
Summary
The oral health of older people is increasingly important. First of all, the global demographic transition means that the number of older people is growing in most societies. The oral health of older people has been traditionally assessed using normative clinical measures (e.g. tooth loss) in epidemiology. This traditional approach ignores the social, emotional and functioning aspects of oral health [3]. Subjective indicators have been adopted to assess the extent to which oral health problems impact on physical functioning and psychological and social well-being. One such measure, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) represents the subjective experience of symptoms related to oral conditions that impact on psychosocial well-being. OHRQoL can be used as an outcome measure to assess the determinants of oral health and to evaluate the effectiveness of health promotion and dental treatment [5]
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