Discrepancies between self-ratings of and satisfaction with oral health in two older adult populations.
OBJECTIVE
General health perceptions, usually measured by means of single-item indicators, are commonly included in health and oral health surveys. The aim of the study reported here was to assess the relationship between self-rated oral health and satisfaction with oral health in two studies of older adult populations.


METHODS
Participants in Study 1 were aged 50 years and over, the majority of whom had multiple chronic medical conditions and disabilities and lived within a multi-level geriatric care setting. They were recruited when attending a clinic in that setting for their annual dental screening. Participants in Study 2 were somewhat healthier community dwelling individuals, also aged 50 years and older, who took part. They were originally recruited by means of a telephone survey based on random-digit dialing. For Study 1, data were collected by means of personal interviews and a review of dental clinic charts, while for Study 2 personal interviews, clinical examination and self-completed questionnaires were used. Measures included self-rated oral health, satisfaction with oral health, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and tooth loss.


RESULTS
Data were obtained from 225 persons in Study 1 and 541 in Study 2. In both studies there was a significant association between self-ratings of oral health and satisfaction with oral health. However, also in both studies there was a discrepancy between the measures: approximately 10% of those with favourable oral health ratings were dissatisfied while approximately half of those with unfavourable ratings were satisfied. Those with apparently discordant responses had significantly higher scores on OHRQoL measures such as the GOHAI and the OHIP-14 than those with concordant responses. In Study 2, a similar discrepancy between self-rated general health and satisfaction with general health was also observed.


CONCLUSIONS
There is degree of discordance between self-ratings of and satisfaction with both oral and general health status in the older adult populations studied here. This may be because of the expectations concerning health in later life. More needs to be known about the frames of reference people use in constructing their responses to questions designed to assess health perceptions.
Locker
David
D
Community Dental Health Services Research Unit, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. david.locker@utoronto.ca
Gibson
Barry
B
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D009909:Oral Health; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012647:Self-Assessment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000523:psychology*