Oral health-related quality of life and associated factors in the elderly: a population-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and associated factors in the elderly. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 287 elderly of Cruz Alta, Brazil. The following variables were collected: age, sex, ethnicity, level of education, marital status, retirement, medical/dental history, smoking/alcohol exposure, oral hygiene habits, use and need of dental prosthesis, missing teeth, temporomandibular disorder symptoms (TMD), nutritional status, and halitosis. OHRQoL was assessed by Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). The sample was categorized into low impact (sum scores ≤6) and high impact (sum scores ≥7). Associations were analyzed by Poisson regression with robust variation. Mean scores of OHIP-14 was 5.92±8.54. Divorced individuals and those who did not use dental floss presented 77% and 54%, respectively, higher prevalence ratio (PR) of having higher OHRQoL impact. Elderly that did not need dental prosthesis demonstrated a lower impact on OHRQoL (P<0.01). Elderly with TMD presented a higher PR of having higher OHRQoL impact (P<0.01). It was concluded that higher impact on OHRQoL was associated with marital status, non-users of dental floss and those with TMD. No need dental prosthesis were associated with lower impact on OHRQoL.