Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020:42:e2020023.
doi: 10.4178/epih.e2020023. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Associations between chronic conditions and oral health services utilization in older Peruvian adults: a pooled analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2015-2017

Diego Azañedo  1 , Diego Chambergo-Michilot  2 , Akram Hernández-Vásquez  3
Affiliations

Associations between chronic conditions and oral health services utilization in older Peruvian adults: a pooled analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2015-2017

Diego Azañedo et al. Epidemiol Health. 2020.

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the associations between chronic conditions (CCs) and oral health services utilization (OHSU) within the previous 6 months in older Peruvian adults (defined as those 60 years of age or more according to Peruvian law).

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed based on the 2015-2017 Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey. Pooled data from 13,699 older adults were analyzed. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the associations between OHSU (dependent variable) and CCs (independent variables). Tobacco consumption, obesity, educational level, age, sex, welfare quintile, area of residence, having health insurance, and natural region of residence were included as covariates in the analysis.

Results: The frequency of OHSU in older adults was 18.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.8 to 19.3). The highest percentage point (%p) differences with regards to OHSU were found between the extreme categories of educational level (higher education vs. none or elementary school: +24.8%p) and welfare quintile (richest vs. poorest: +24.0%p). In the crude model, OHSU was associated with diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.69), but this association disappeared after adjustment for covariates. Meanwhile, depression decreased the likelihood of OHSU (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.95) in the adjusted model.

Conclusions: The frequency of OHSU was low in older Peruvian adults. Regarding CCs, we found that depression independently decreased the likelihood of OHSU in the adjusted model. Our results may be useful for the development of policies aimed at achieving greater OHSU in older adults with CCs, especially in those with depression.

Keywords: Aged; Mouth diseases; Noncommunicable diseases; Oral health; Peru.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare for this study.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of the selection of older adults included in the study. ENDES, Demographic and Family Health Survey; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire-9; BMI, body mass index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. United Nations World population ageing 2017: highlights. [cited 2020 Apr 22]. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/agein....
    1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Strengthening the scientific foundation for policymaking to meet the challenges of aging in Latin America and the Caribbean: summary of a workshop. 2015 [cited 2020 Apr 22]. Available from: https://www.nia.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2017-06/challenges-of-aging-.... - PubMed
    1. GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392:1789–1858. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gil-Montoya JA, de Mello AL, Barrios R, Gonzalez-Moles MA, Bravo M. Oral health in the elderly patient and its impact on general well-being: a nonsystematic review. Clin Interv Aging. 2015;10:461–467. - PMC - PubMed
    1. El-Yousfi S, Jones K, White S, Marshman Z. A rapid review of barriers to oral healthcare for vulnerable people. Br Dent J. 2019;227:143–151. - PubMed