Effect of tooth loss and denture status on oral health-related quality of life of older individuals from Sri Lanka.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of tooth loss and denture status on oral health-related quality of life of older individuals.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study where the data were collected by means of an interviewer administered questionnaire and a clinical oral examination.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 630 free-living older individuals who were 60 years and above. The present analysis is limited to 619 individuals who had at least one missing tooth.


METHODS
The impact of tooth loss and denture status on oral health related quality of life was assessed using a Sinhalese translation of the Oral Health Impact profile-14 (OHIP-14).


RESULTS
In the edentate group, overall prevalence of oral impacts was significantly higher in non-denture wearers (53%) compared to denture wearers (32%). In both dentate and edentate groups, the most commonly reported impact item was "uncomfortable to eat". According to the logistic regression analysis having 25-31 missing teeth with an odds ratio of 4.21 had the strongest association with the OHIP score. Those with anterior dental spaces were 2.76 times more likely to have an impact score of >2 than those without such spaces. Compared to denture wearers, non-denture wearers were 2.81 times more likely to have an impact score of >2.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral health-related quality of life of older individuals was significantly affected by tooth loss, position of missing teeth and denture status.
Pallegedara
C
C
Dental Unit, Sri Lanka Air Force, Katunayake, Sri Lanka.
Ekanayake
L
L
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003778:Dentures / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013188:Sri Lanka; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000523:psychology*