The association between clinical oral health status and oral impacts experienced by older individuals in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the association between clinical oral status and oral impacts experienced by older individuals in Sri Lanka. A total of 585 individuals who were above 60 years and were residents of an urban area was selected using a multistage cluster sampling combined with probability proportionate to size technique. However the present analysis is limited to 235 individuals who were subjected to a clinical oral examination. An interviewer administered Sinhala translation of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) scale was used to assess the oral impacts experienced by the sample. An oral examination was carried out following the interview. Of the 235 subjects clinically examined 64 (27%) were edentulous. The associations between clinical parameters and oral impacts were assessed in the 171 dentate subjects. There were positive, weak but significant correlations between the number of missing teeth, the number of teeth with third degree mobility and the OHIP score. Also those who wore dentures and had halitosis had significantly higher OHIP scores than those who did not wear dentures and did not have halitosis. Logistic regression analysis revealed that 'wearing denture' and 'having halitosis' were significant predictors of the OHIP score. In conclusion, there was a weak association between clinical parameters and oral impacts experienced by these older individuals.

Oral health related quality of life and periodontal status of a selected Malaysian adult population: A pilot study

“…This is in agreement with McGrath & Bedi (2002) who concluded that effect of oral health on quality of life for the British population was considerable, with many individuals experiencing negative impacts across a broad range of physical, social and psychological aspects of life quality (20). An understanding and knowledge of the relationship between clinical and subjective indicators will enable the dental practitioner to make rational decisions about what oral conditions require treatment and the type of treatment that is needed for a given condition with the available resources (21).…”

Tooth loss and oral health-related quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Several population surveys include 'number of teeth' in statistical models analyzing impact on OHRQoL, but this parameter appears not always to be the most prominent predictor. For example, in a population of older adults in Sri Lanka, Ekanayake [10] found only a weak association between tooth loss and other clinical parameters on the one hand and oral impacts on the other hand. This suggests that other factors such as age, gender or cultural background of the patient play an important role in the perception of health [10,11].…”

Oral health-related quality of life and somatization in the elderly

“…More severe psychological or social limitations and handicap were not affected. Compared with other crosssectional studies, the impact of clinical data differs from strong predictor [25] to only weak, as reported by Ekanayake [26].…”