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Oral health‐related quality of life as a predictor of subjective well‐being among older adults—A decade‐long longitudinal cohort study
Author(s) -
Klotz AnnaLuisa,
Tauber Benjamin,
Schubert AnnaLena,
Hassel Alexander Jochen,
Schröder Johannes,
Wahl HansWerner,
Rammelsberg Peter,
Zenthöfer Andreas
Publication year - 2018
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.12416
Subject(s) - medicine , cohort , longitudinal study , quality of life (healthcare) , gerontology , cohort study , demography , structural equation modeling , life satisfaction , observational study , oral health , cohort effect , dentistry , psychology , statistics , nursing , mathematics , pathology , sociology , psychotherapist
Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate possible longitudinal associations between oral health‐related quality of life ( OHRQ oL) and subjective well‐being among quinquagenarians and septuagenarians over up to 10 years of clinical observation. Methods This research is part of the “Interdisciplinary Study on Adult Development and Aging ( ILSE ).” All participants lived in an urban region of southwest Germany. One hundred and fifty‐two participants born in 1930–1932 (older cohort, OC ; n = 54) and 1950–1952 (younger cohort, YC ; n = 98) underwent comprehensive psychological, medical and dental examinations at baseline and up to 10 years thereafter. The Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index ( GOHAI ) was used to assess OHRQ oL. The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale ( PGCMS ), general life satisfaction ( GLS ) and individuals’ general satisfaction with their health ( SWH ) were used to evaluate subjective well‐being. Regression models and structural equation modelling ( SEM ) were used to analyse the longitudinal associations between OHRQ oL and subjective well‐being. Results A cross‐lagged prediction model revealed a positive association between baseline OHRQ oL and subjective well‐being across 10 years for both birth cohorts, OC [0.49 (0.21; 0.69)] and YC [0.36 (0.24; 0.52)]. However, higher subjective well‐being at baseline was not a predictor of better OHRQ oL 10 years later for either cohort. Conclusions OHRQ oL seems to be a substantial predictor of subjective well‐being in quinquagenarians and septuagenarians across the rather long observational period. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm this finding.