Oral health-related quality of life and related factors among residents in a disaster area of the Great East Japan Earthquake and giant tsunami

Abstract

BackgroundOral health is one of the most important issues for disaster survivors. The aim of this study was to determine post-disaster distribution of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and related factors in survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.MethodsQuestionnaires to assess OHRQoL, psychological distress, disaster-related experiences, and current systemic-health and economic conditions were sent to survivors over 18 years of age living in Otsuchi, one of the most severely damaged municipalities. OHRQoL and psychological distress were assessed using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), Japanese version, respectively. Among 11,411 residents, 1,987 returned the questionnaire (response rate, 17.4 %) and received an oral examination to determine number of present teeth, dental caries status, and tooth-mobility grade, and to assess periodontal health using the Community Periodontal Index. Relationships between GOHAI and related factors were examined by nonparametric bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses using GOHAI cutoff points at the 25th and 50th national standard percentiles.ResultsGOHAI scores were significantly lower in the 50–69-age group compared with other age groups in this study and compared with the national standard score. In bivariate analyses, all factors assessed in this study (i.e., sex, age, evacuation from home, interruption of dental treatment, lost or fractured dentures, self-rated systemic health, serious psychological distress (SPD), economic status, number of teeth, having decayed teeth, CPI code, and tooth mobility) were significantly associated with OHRQoL. Subsequent multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that participants of upper-middle age, who had received dental treatment before the disaster, who had lost or fractured dentures, and who had clinical oral health problems were likely to show low levels of OHRQoL. In addition, perceived systemic health and SPD were also related with OHRQoL.ConclusionsOHRQoL of disaster survivors was associated with oral problems stemming from the disaster in addition to factors related to OHRQoL in ordinary times such as clinical oral status and perceived systemic health. Furthermore, SPD was also associated with OHRQoL, which suggests the disaster’s great negative impact on both oral and mental health conditions.

Prevalence of Candida albicans and non-albicans on the tongue dorsa of elderly people living in a post-disaster area: a cross-sectional survey

“…1 ). Detailed methods of initial subject recruitment were reported in our previous paper [ 24 ]. All the candidates gave informed consent to participate in this study after receiving sufficient information.…”

“…Moreover, the rate of growth of the elderly population has rapidly increased due to the outflow of the younger generation in post-disaster areas, and a considerable number of elderly people are still displaced from their homes 5 years after the disaster [ 21 ]. The extraordinary lifestyle after the disaster has had negative effects on systemic, mental, and oral health [ 22 – 24 ], and could affect the prevalence of oral Candida colonization in elderly community dwellers in the disaster areas.…”

High prevalence of toothache among Great East Japan Earthquake survivors living in temporary housing

“…9,10 Following transient psychological distress, the risk of depression and insomnia were commonly increased. [11][12][13] The field of disaster dentistry could play supportive roles in management of postdisaster distress among disaster survivors, 14,15 as supported by the report of Kishi et al 13 indicating that serious psychological distress among GEJE survivors was strongly associated with lower oral health-related quality of life. Similarly, our previous reports indicated the increase in oral problems including subjective toothache among the GEJE survivors, with robust associations with psychological distress and insomnia.…”

“…Natural disasters cause many public health problems owing to the sudden environmental changes associated with the collapse of social systems . Following transient psychological distress, the risk of depression and insomnia were commonly increased . The field of disaster dentistry could play supportive roles in management of postdisaster distress among disaster survivors, as supported by the report of Kishi et al indicating that serious psychological distress among GEJE survivors was strongly associated with lower oral health‐related quality of life.…”

Effects of dropping out of dental treatment on the oral health-related quality of life among middle-aged subjects using web research

“…The oral health-related quality of life is known to be affected by many factors [ 14 ], but no marked differences by gender have been noted in previous reports on the development of assessment indices using this study [ 14 , 27 ]. However, some studies have reported that gender affected[ 28 , 29 ] the oral health-related quality of life. For example, female have shown a tendency to have a low oral health-related quality of life [ 28 ].…”