title: Oral health-related quality of life of older people from three South American cities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe subjective oral health status and its association with overall health conditions and socioeconomic factors in the elderly (60 years and older) living in the capital cities with the oldest average populations in South America.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Oral diseases are a public health problem, frequently neglected in older adults. In recent years, the subjective assessment of psychological and social consequences of the problems related to oral health has been valued. One of the instruments used to estimate the Oral Health-Quality of Life is the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment (GOHAI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Representative samples from SABE study (1999-2000) of Santiago (n = 1301), Buenos Aires (n = 1043), and Montevideo (n = 1450) aged 60 and over community-dwelling people. We assessed OH-QoL (GOHAI), self-reported missing teeth, denture use, and self-rated-health, among other indicators. Logistic regression models(GOHAI < 58) for each city, adjusted by sex and age, were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GOHAI average scores were higher in Montevideo (54.8 ± 6.1) than in Buenos Aires (53.1 ± 7.4) and Santiago (49.9 ± 8.6). A pronounced gradient of the oral condition and GOHAI scores were observed within the three-cities. Denture use -less prevalent in Santiago and more common among women- is a protective factor against a poor OH-QoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socioeconomic inequalities in oral health status and OH-QoL are observed in the three cities. The increasing life expectancy emphasizes the need to integrate prevention and treatment efforts, as a way to improve OH-QoL over the course of a lifetime.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile            Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fuentes-García
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lera
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albala
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003778:Dentures / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014583:Uruguay / Q000453:epidemiology