Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the factors influencing the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of community-dwelling older adults living alone, using data from the ninth Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Methods: A secondary analysis of the ninth KLoSA dataset from 2022 was conducted. The study sample comprised 1,038 community-dwelling older adults living alone. The dependent variable of this study was OHRQoL, while the independent variables included socio-demographic, oral health-related, general health-related, and health behavior-related characteristics. Factors influencing OHRQoL were assessed using a complex samples general linear model with the Bonferroni correction in IBM SPSS/Win 26.0. Results: The average OHRQoL score was 37.47±0.35 out of 60. The factors influencing the OHRQoL of community-dwelling older adults living alone included age (≥85 years) (t=-3.03, <i>p</i>=.003), wearing dentures (t=-2.11, <i>p</i>=.035), difficulty in daily activities due to vision impairment (t=-2.26, <i>p</i>=.024), difficulty in daily activities due to hearing impairment (t=-2.21, <i>p</i>=.028), and depression (t=-8.38, <i>p</i><.001). Conclusion: Based on our findings, to improve the OHRQoL of community-dwelling older adults living alone, it is necessary to consider psychological factors, such as depression, when developing ongoing oral health-management programs aimed at improving OHRQoL. Additional considerations include effective management of dentures and addressing difficulties in daily activities due to vision and hearing impairments.
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