Correlates of change in self-perceived oral health among older adults in Brazil Findings from the Health, Well-Being and Aging Study

Author(s)

de Andrade, Fabiola Bof ^[1] ; Lebrao, Maria Lucia ^[1] ; Ferreira Santos, Jair Licio ^[2] ; de Oliveira Duarte, Veda Aparecida ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, BR-01246904 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Sch Med, Dept Social Med, BR-01246904 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Nursing, BR-01246904 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION; v. 143, n. 5, p. 488-495, MAY 2012.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

Background. Identifying changes in the oral health status of older populations, and their predictors and explanations, is necessary for public health planning. The authors assessed patterns of change in oral health-related quality of life in a large cohort of older adults in Brazil during a five-year period and evaluated associations between baseline characteristics and those changes. Methods. The sample consisted of 747 older people enrolled in a Brazilian cohort study called the Health, Well-Being and Aging (Saude, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento {[}SABE]) Study. Trained examiners measured participants' self-perceived oral health by using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). The authors calculated changes in the overall GOHAI score and in the scores for each of the GOHAI's three dimensions individually by subtracting the baseline score from the score at follow-up. A positive difference indicated improvement in oral health, a negative difference indicated a decline and a difference of zero indicated no change. Results. The authors found that 48.56 percent of the participants experienced a decline in oral health and 33.48 percent experienced an improvement. Participants with 16 or more missing teeth and eight or more years of education were more likely to have an improvement in total GOHAI score. Deterioration was more likely to occur among those with two or more diseases. Improvement and decline in GOHAI functional scores were related to the number of missing teeth. The authors found no significant model for the change in the psychosocial score, and Self-rated general health was the only variable related to both improvement and decline in pain or discomfort scores. Conclusions. The authors observed a bidirectional change in self-perceived oral health, with deterioration predominating. The strongest predictor of improvement in the total GOHAI score was the number of missing teeth, whereas the number of diseases was the strongest predictor of deterioration. Clinical Implications. Dental professionals and policymakers need to know the directions of change in older adults' oral health to establish treatment priorities and evaluate the impact of services directed at this population. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 05/54947-2 - SABE study - 2005: well-being and ageing: longitudinal study of living conditions and health of elderly in the municipality of São Paulo
• Grantee: Ruy Laurenti
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/00883-1 - Factors associated to self-perceived oral health among elerly from São Paulo: SABE study
• Grantee: Fabíola Bof de Andrade
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate