title: Clinical and sociodemographic predictors of oral pain and eating problems among adult and senior Spaniards in the national survey performed in 2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pain and chewing difficulties have been identified as the strongest predictors of oral disadvantage. The aim of this study is to analyze and quantify the sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical factors modulating the oral pain and eating difficulties reported by Spanish adults and elderly Spanish people in the last National Oral Health Survey performed in 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data concerning pain and chewing difficulties were acquired on a Likert‑scale format from a representative sample of the Spanish general population with ages between 35-44 years (n=391) and 65‑74 years (n=405). Risk factors were identified using bivariate analysis, after which the crude association between risk factors (sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical) and outcome variables (pain and eating problems) was assessed by adjusted odds ratios, calculated by means of multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eating problems and oral pain were mainly associated with prosthetic and caries treatment needs as clinical predictors, but female sex was also seen to be a relevant and significant risk factor for suffering pain and eating restrictions. Paradoxically, after taking into account all the aforementioned predictors, the adults had an almost two‑fold higher risk of reporting pain or eating difficulties than the elderly subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In agreement with the results from the last national oral health survey, prosthetic and caries treatment needs should be considered key factors in determining the oral well‑being of the Spanish population. In sociodemographic terms, the women and adults were seen to be at a significantly higher risk of suffering pain and eating restrictions.
authors: Clínica Odontológica Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, C/ Alfonso X, el Sabio S/N, Campus de Unamuno, 37007 Salamanca, Spain, javimont@usal.es.
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Montero
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Bravo
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: López-Valverde
authors: Juan-Carlos
authors: JC
authors: Llodra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D009055:Mouth; D009909:Oral Health; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain