Factors Associated with Undergoing Regular Dental Check-ups in Healthy Elderly Individuals

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of healthy elderly individuals undergoing regular dental checkups and identify any environmental or associated oral factors. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to interview 216 individuals attending 2 welfare facilities for the elderly, of whom 160 were included in the final analysis. Items comprised age, sex, number of residual teeth, frequency of teeth/ denture cleaning, subjective chewing ability, denture use, oral status, regular dental checkups , visitation of the same dentist, number of dental visits in the past year, General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) (Japanese version) score, living situation, and use of routine medication. Individuals undergoing regular dental checkups were defined as those with a primary dentist whom they saw for dental checkups at least once a year. The rate of individuals undergoing regular dental checkups was 75.0% in men aged 60-74 years, 58.8% in women aged 60-74 years, 70.0% in men aged 75 years or over, and 45.3% in women aged 75 years or over. Logistic regression analysis revealed a higher number of residual teeth (odds ratio [OR]=2.664 in comparison with those with fewer than 20 teeth, p=0.0427); cleaning teeth/dentures 3 or more times per day (OR=2.546 in comparison with cleaning them twice per day or less, p=0.0157); and a higher GOHAI score (OR=2.742 in comparison with those with a GOHAI score of less than 58, p=0.0263) as factors significantly correlated with undergoing regular dental checkups. In conclusion, the results revealed that individuals undergoing regular dental checkups had 20 or more residual teeth, cleaned their teeth/denture 3 or more times per day, and had a higher GOHAI score. This indicates that the best predictive factor for undergoing regular dental checkups in healthy elderly individuals is their GOHAI score.

Prevalence and determinants of dental visits among older adults: findings of a nationally representative longitudinal study

“…Our finding adds validity to older adults’ higher risk to underutilize dental services compared to younger age groups. Underutilization means, that adults visit the dentist less than one to two times a year [13–15]. The present results show that not only interindividual but also intraindividual explanations are needed to describe dental service utilization in older age.…”

“…Older insurees (75+ years old), however, showed a significantly less frequent utilization of dental services, of under 60% [12]. Regular dental check-ups have a preventive effect on oral health, specifically on the development of periodontitis, and are recommended one to two times a year for adults [8, 13–15].…”

Dental health status and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in older people of Puerto Montt, Chile

“…5,17 85.7% wore a removable denture, a figure higher than the data reported by other authors. 8,24,[26][27][28] Regarding the GOHAI questionnaire, the mean and median were classified as "Good OHRQoL", according to the classification proposed in Chile. 19 The mean was higher than that obtained in other studies.…”

Oral health diseases among the older people: a general health perspective

“…Ting et al [142] used the scale to evaluate Effectiveness of an oral function intervention on the oral function of older Taiwanese people. Eguchi et al [143] used the scale to determine the distribution of healthy elderly individuals undergoing regular dental check-ups and identify any environmental or associated oral factors. Nitri et al [144] investigated the association between sociodemographic factors, health-related characteristics, functional status and OHRQoL through the GOHAI scale.…”