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Impact of mood disorders on oral health‐care utilization among middle‐aged and older adults
Author(s) -
Mago Anjali,
Thyvalikakath Thankam P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/cdoe.12102
Subject(s) - medicine , mood , mood disorders , affect (linguistics) , psychiatry , marital status , quality of life (healthcare) , population , odds ratio , confounding , gerontology , anxiety , environmental health , nursing , psychology , communication , pathology
Abstract Background Good oral health improves quality of life and is an integral part of active aging. Similar to some other systemic diseases, mood disorders are more prevalent in middle to older ages and have an associated risk of developing poor oral health. Consequently, people with mood disorders need to have regular dental care. There is scarce evidence in Canada linking mood disorders to the use of professional oral care services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between mood disorders and utilization of oral health‐care services in a population‐based sample of middle aged and older adults in Canada. Methods Data were extracted from Canadian Community Health Survey – Healthy Aging, 2008. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate the association between mood disorders and oral care utilization, adjusted for the confounders. Results Among 30 354 respondents included in our sample, 2162 (6.9%) reported having mood disorders. After adjusting for age, sex, education, marital status, and dental insurance status, the respondents who had mood disorders had a significant increased odds of not visiting a dental professional in the past year ( OR :1.21, 95% CI : 1.08–1.35). The association of never visiting a dental professional and mood disorders was even stronger ( OR : 1.49, 95% CI : 0.91–2.46). Conclusion Mood disorders were found to have a strong association with underutilization of oral care services among aging adults of Canada. Given the associated poor oral health risks for elderly with mood disorders, oral health planners should strengthen the implementation of surveillance programs directed toward better oral health for this disadvantaged subpopulation.