Demographics, social position, dental status and oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults

Maria Augusta Bessa Rebelo, Evangeline Maria Cardoso, Peter G Robinson, Mario Vianna Vettore*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)
356 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Purpose

To identify demographic, socioeconomic and dental clinical predictors of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in elderly people.

Methods

Cross-sectional study involving 613 elderly people aged 65–74 years in Manaus, Brazil. Interviews and oral examinations were carried out to collect demographic characteristics (age and sex) and socioeconomic data (income and education), dental clinical measures (DMFT, need of upper and lower dentures) and OHRQoL (GOHAI questionnaire). Structural equation modelling was used to estimate direct and indirect pathways between the variables.

Results

Being older predicted lower schooling but higher income. Higher income was linked to better dental status, which was linked to better OHRQoL. There were also indirect pathways. Age and education were linked to OHRQoL, mediated by clinical dental status. Income was associated with dental clinical status via education, and income predicted OHRQoL via education and clinical measures.

Conclusion

Our findings elucidate the complex pathways between individual, environmental factors and clinical factors that may determine OHRQoL and support the application of public health approaches to improve oral health in older people.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1735-1742
Number of pages8
JournalQuality of Life Research
Volume25
Issue number7
Early online date26 Dec 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2016

Keywords

  • Elderly people
  • Oral health
  • Quality of life
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Structural equation modelling

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Demographics, social position, dental status and oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this