Abstract
BackgroundEdentulism affects the quality of life and general health of an individual. But in ageing individuals, it has been observed to have greater impact, manifesting in functional, psychological and social limitations. With an increasing older adult population in Ghana, its burden is likely to increase. This study was thus carried out to explore the association between edentulism and quality of life among older Ghanaian adults.MethodsSecondary analysis of WHO’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 in Ghana was conducted using self-reported edentulism as the dependent variable. Participants included a nationally representative sample of adult’s aged 50 years and older living in Ghana. Quality of life was measured using the 8 item WHOQOL measure and a single item measure which was a question “How would you rate your overall quality of life?”. To assess the association between edentulism and the independent variables, a bivariate analysis was carried out. A Poisson regression model was then performed, adjusting for age, sex, income, education and the diagnosis of a chronic disease condition. A Spearman’s correlation analysis was also carried out between the single and multi item measure of quality of life to assess how well they correlate.ResultsEdentulism was observed to be associated with significantly lower levels of SWB among older adults using both the single-item and multiple-item measure (WHOQOL). It, however, showed no association with happiness. Among edentulous respondents, females and those with no formal education reported significantly lower quality of life. The WHOQOL correlated positively and strongly with the single-item measure.ConclusionEdentulism may not be life threatening and yet it has been shown to have a negative effect on the quality of life of older adult Ghanaians. More emphasis may thus need to be placed on the oral health of the aging population in Ghana to avoid it.
Highlights
Edentulism affects the quality of life and general health of an individual
This study was based on data from a nationally representative population of adults aged 50 years and older in Wave 1 of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) multi-country Study on Global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana [19]
Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 was undertaken in Ghana in a partnership between the University of Ghana’s Department of Community Health, the Ministry of Health and WHO, as part of a multi-country longitudinal study to complement existing data on ageing to inform policy and programmes
Summary
Edentulism affects the quality of life and general health of an individual. It has been observed to have greater impact, manifesting in functional, psychological and social limitations. This study was carried out to explore the association between edentulism and quality of life among older Ghanaian adults. It has been observed to result in functional, psychological and social limitations, and affects the quality of life and general health of an individual [1]. Nutrition among these individuals may be compromised, since tooth loss affects an individual’s ability to chew effectively. Tooth loss has been associated with many chronic disease conditions e.g. diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and a functional decline, all of which can be handicapping.
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