Self-assessed oral-health status and quality of life of older Chilean

Abstract

This study aims to examine the self-assessed oral health status and quality of life (QoL) of independent living Chilean older adults, and their distribution by selected socio-demographic characteristics. The study conducted a secondary analysis of data collected as part of a larger study of dependency which involved 4766 independent living older adults, 60 years of age and older, residents of all Chilean Regions. Participants were interviewed using an 11-module instrument. The majority (61.2%) were female. Mean age was 72.3 (s.d. 8.5) years. 47.5% lived with their spouses/partners. The majority had primary education (63.4%), were under the National Health Fund (87.9%), and lived in urban locations (68.3%). The majority (56%) perceived their QoL to be ‘Excellent/Very good’; another 37.5% self-assessed their QoL as ‘Average’; and 6.6% self-assessed his/her QoL as being ‘Bad/Very bad’. 21.7% of participants reported no natural teeth; 43.1% had ‘the majority’ of teeth missing; 29.9% had ‘A few’ teeth missing; and 5.3% reported no missing teeth. The probability of being edentulous was explored using LRA. Age; health conditions; education; gender and region of residence remained statistically significant [x2(13) = 379.05; p < 0.001]. Those who self-reported their QoL as ‘Average/Bad’ were more likely to be edentulous than those who self-reported their QoL as Good/Excellent (OR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.10-2.00). Despite general improvements in oral health among Chilean older adults, this study found poor oral health among older adults is compounded by poor QoL, and substantial inequalities in oral health outcomes by location, levels of education and income.