Abstract
Objective:
To verify the association between impacts produced by tooth loss and sociodemographic variables in the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the elderly.
Material and Methods:
This is an analytical cross-sectional study carried out in the municipality of Vitória/ES, Brazil, which sample was composed of 402 older adults. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to measure the individuals' OHRQoL. For data analysis, descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using the Fisher's exact test and the Mantel-Haenzsel test to assess the effects of combined dimensions. The significance level adopted was 5%. To assess the strength of association between independent variables and dimensions, Odds-Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated.
Results:
The prevalence of negative impact on OHRQoL in the elderly was 32.6%. The greatest impact perception was found in individuals with up to 10 years of schooling (p=0.021 and OR=1.602), with need for removable partial dentures (p=0.000 and OR=2.873) and those who did not accept the loss of dental elements (p=0.000 and OR=3.064).
Conclusion:
Older female adults with socioeconomic class C/D-E, with up to 10 years of schooling, who lost 11 or more teeth, who declared the need for removable partial dentures, suffered greater impacts caused by tooth loss on OHRQoL.
Keywords:
Quality of Life; Oral Health; Aged; Health Status Indicators; Sickness Impact Profile