Depression and oral health-related quality of life: A longitudinal study

Abstract

ObjectivesGeriatric oral health-related quality of life is a relatively new but rapidly growing concept as it is directly related to the general wellbeing and self-esteem of older adults. This study assessed the impact of worsening depression symptoms on oral health-related quality of life using representative nationwide data of Korean older adults.MethodsThis study comprised a longitudinal sample of older adults aged ≥60 from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2016–2020). After applying the exclusion criteria, 3,286 participants were included in the study. Depression status was determined through the biennial assessment of the short-form Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10); oral health was measured using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). We employed the lagged general estimating equations to assess the temporal effect of the CESD-10 score change on the GOHAI score.ResultsA decrease in CESD-10 score over a 2-year period was significantly associated with a decrease in GOHAI score in men and women: β = −1.810 and β = −1.278, respectively (p-values < 0.0001). Furthermore, compared to the same or improved CESD-10 score, worsening of the score on 1–2 points detected the β = −1.793 in men and β = −1.356 in women, and worsening on ≥3 points: β = −3.614 in men and β = −2.533 in women.ConclusionsThis study found that depression exacerbation is negatively associated with oral health-related quality of life in later life. Further, a more significant worsening of depression symptoms was correlated with lower scores for oral health-related quality of life in our study population.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Depression or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

“…First, the worse OHRQoL of these patients needs discussion. The available literature on patients with affective disorders supports the results of the current study, as they show a reduced OHRQoL in those individuals [7][8][9][10][11]. A study on the Japanese elderly showed that depressive symptoms were associated with a more than five-fold higher risk of impaired OHRQoL [12].…”

“…A study on the Japanese elderly showed that depressive symptoms were associated with a more than five-fold higher risk of impaired OHRQoL [12]. Another longitudinal study showed that an exacerbation of depression would be negatively associated with OHRQoL in the elderly [9]. However, the available literature consists of heterogeneous samples, whereby specific cohorts like elderly individuals or substance users were often included.…”

“…Moreover, it has already been shown that outpatients (i.e., patients attending ambulant care/therapy for their psychiatric disease) with psychiatric disorders would show a diagnosis-dependent impairment of their OHRQoL [8]. With regard to affective disorders, a recent longitudinal study revealed that the exacerbation of depression was related to worse OHRQoL [9]. Another cross-sectional study found that depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with both periodontal disease severity and OHRQoL [10].…”

Research hotspots and trends of oral health in older adults from 2013 to 2023: A bibliometric and visual analysis

“…OHRQoL can have a range of negative impacts on the physical and mental health, social relationships, and well-being of older adults [ 37 ]. OHRQoL in older adults is influenced by a variety of factors, including oral health indicators, general health status, sociodemographic status (gender as female and age), and economic status [ 35 , 38 , 39 ]. There is a clear need to identify risk factors for poor OHRQoL in older adults and to develop interventions based on these factors.…”