Factors Related to Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Independent Brazilian Elderly

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the factors associated with the impact of oral health on the quality of life in a sample of 504 Brazilian independent elderly. Data collection included oral examinations and structured interviews. The simplified form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to measure OHRQoL. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, use of dental services, and subjective measures of health was collected. Poisson regression within a hierarchical model was used to data analyses. The following variables were associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL: female gender (PR？=？1.40; CI 95%: 1.11–1.77); lower class (PR？=？1.58; CI 95%: 1.13–2.20); up to 3 occluding pairs of posterior teeth (PR？=？1.88; CI 95%: 1.13–3.14); at least one untreated caries (PR？=？1.28; CI 95%: 1.06–1.54); curative reasons for the last dental appointment (PR？=？1.52; CI 95%: 1.15–2.00); poor self-perception of oral health (PR？=？2.49; CI 95%: 1.92–3.24); and poor perception of dental care provided (PR？=？1.34; CI 95%: 1.12–1.59). The younger elderly also noticed this negative impact. These findings showed that the clinical, sociodemographic, and subjective factors evaluated exerted a negative impact on OHRQoL in elderly people. Health authorities must address all these factors when planning interventions on oral health for this population. 1. Introduction The health of the elderly is increasingly awakening the interest of researchers, since aging of the population, once seen as a phenomenon, is now a reality both in developed and developing countries [1]. It is estimated that by 2040 the developing countries will have 1 billion people aged 60 or over [2]. Given the great velocity and extent of this growth, care with this specific group is essential, so they can age healthily and with quality of life [3]. Oral health is among the factors that can exert influence on the quality of life of the elderly, since poor oral health conditions result in difficulty in chewing, speaking, or even in the relationships with other people [4–6]. In recent years a significant increase can be observed in studies on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the elderly. The impact of oral health on quality of life broadens the sources of information from epidemiological research beyond just clinical indicators [7, 8]. Therefore, various instruments have been developed, including the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49), in order to measure people’s perceptions of the social impact of oral disorders on their wellbeing. OHIP-49 was developed in