Yuki Ohara1,2, Hirohiko Hirano1, Yutaka Watanabe3, Shuichi Obuchi4, Hideyo Yoshida1, Yoshinori Fujiwara5, Kazushige Ihara6, Hisashi Kawai4, Shiro Mataki7. 1. Research Team for Promoting Independence of the Elderly, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. 2. Graduate School, Section of Oral Health Care Education, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Oral Disease, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan. 4. Human Care Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. 6. Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan. 7. Graduate School, Section of Behavioral Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the determinants of self-rated oral health among community-dwelling older people in Japan. METHODS: The participants were 897 (357 men and 540 women) aged 65 years and over who participated in a comprehensive geriatric health examination, which included an oral examination, a face-to-face interview assessing cognitive function, questionnaires regarding depressive symptoms and functional capacity, and a medical examination. The oral examination measured indices of oral health status: number of present teeth, number of functional teeth, occlusal force and amount of resting saliva. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the factors associated with poor self-rated oral health. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 73.5 ± 5.0 years. The prevalence of poor and rather poor self-rated oral health was 11.5% and 29.5%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the number of present teeth (odds ratio [OR] 0.97, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.95-0.99), difficulty in mastication (OR 3.20, CI 2.18-4.70), presence of xerostomia (OR 1.43, CI 1.02-2.01), total score on the MoCA-J (OR 1.06, CI 1.01-1.11), and reduction in frequency of leaving the house (OR 1.64, CI 1.12-2.41) were significantly associated with poor self-rated oral health. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggested that self-rated oral health was a significant factor in oral health status as well as overall well-being among community-dwelling older Japanese people.
OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the determinants of self-rated oral health among community-dwelling older people in Japan. METHODS: The participants were 897 (357 men and 540 women) aged 65 years and over who participated in a comprehensive geriatric health examination, which included an oral examination, a face-to-face interview assessing cognitive function, questionnaires regarding depressive symptoms and functional capacity, and a medical examination. The oral examination measured indices of oral health status: number of present teeth, number of functional teeth, occlusal force and amount of resting saliva. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the factors associated with poor self-rated oral health. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 73.5 ± 5.0 years. The prevalence of poor and rather poor self-rated oral health was 11.5% and 29.5%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the number of present teeth (odds ratio [OR] 0.97, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.95-0.99), difficulty in mastication (OR 3.20, CI 2.18-4.70), presence of xerostomia (OR 1.43, CI 1.02-2.01), total score on the MoCA-J (OR 1.06, CI 1.01-1.11), and reduction in frequency of leaving the house (OR 1.64, CI 1.12-2.41) were significantly associated with poor self-rated oral health. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggested that self-rated oral health was a significant factor in oral health status as well as overall well-being among community-dwelling older Japanese people.