title: Factors associated with self-assessed oral health in the Japanese independent elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this research was to analyse the relationship between oral health status, oral motor function, daily life situations and self-assessed oral health.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 190 independent elderly volunteers aged 62-99 years from senior citizen centres in Tokyo, Japan. A questionnaire survey and oral examination were conducted on each participant. For the descriptive analyses, Independent t-test and the chi-squared test were used. Following that, using four latent variables, (oral health, oral function, daily life situations and chronic health condition), a structural equation modelling analysis (SEMA) was undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the descriptive analyses, there were no significant differences between self-assessed oral health and oral health status. However, there were significant differences between self-assessed oral health and oral function and daily life situations. Findings from SEMA revealed that daily life situations and oral function have independent effects on self-assessed oral health and that the relationship between self-assessed oral health and oral health status was weak.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many factors affect self-assessed oral health status. Dental clinicians and researchers should attempt to understand these factors and incorporate them into effective personal and population-based oral health education and oral health promotion programmes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Promotion, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. mori.ohp@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Chisato
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Chiyoko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hakuta
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinada
authors.forename: Fredrick A C
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001290:Attitude; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008046:Lip / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009909:Oral Health; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000523:psychology