Abstract
BackgroundThere is a lack of studies investigating the impact of postponed dental visits due to financial constraints on quality of life.AimsThe aim of this study was to identify whether these factors are associated longitudinally.MethodsData were derived from waves 5 and 6 of the “Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe” (SHARE). The analysis focused on Germany (n = 7506). The widely used CASP-12 was used to quantify the quality of life. Postponed dental visits for financial reasons in the preceding 12 months (no, yes) were used as the main explanatory variable. Socioeconomic and health-related covariates were included in regression analysis.ResultsGender stratified regression analysis showed that quality of life decreased with the presence of postponed dental visits due to financial reasons in men. Furthermore, quality of life decreased with the worsening of self-rated health in both men and women. The outcome measure was not associated with age, marital status, income, and chronic diseases in both sexes.DiscussionStudy findings suggest that postponing dental visits due to financial constraints contributes to a decreased quality of life among older men.ConclusionEfforts to avoid these circumstances might help to maintain the quality of life in older men.
Highlights
Interest in the assessment of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in medicine has grown considerably over the past 30 years [1]
Regressions revealed that quality of life decreased with the presence of postponed dental visits due to financial reasons (β = − 1.36, p < 0.05) and worsening self-rated health (β = − 0.56, p < 0.001) in men
Quality of life was not associated with age, marital status, income, and chronic diseases in both sexes
Summary
Interest in the assessment of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in medicine has grown considerably over the past 30 years [1]. The reason for this may include its manifold applicability in various capacities, such as in facilitating. Generic instruments are designed to measure HrQoL across all diseases, populations, and medical interventions (e.g. CASP-12) [1, 4]. Results Gender stratified regression analysis showed that quality of life decreased with the presence of postponed dental visits due to financial reasons in men. Discussion Study findings suggest that postponing dental visits due to financial constraints contributes to a decreased quality of life among older men. Conclusion Efforts to avoid these circumstances might help to maintain the quality of life in older men
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