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Poor Oral Health and Quality of Life in Older U . S . Adults with Diabetes Mellitus
Author(s) -
Huang Deborah L.,
Chan Kwun Chuen Gary,
Young Bessie A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/jgs.12452
Subject(s) - medicine , odds ratio , dentition , confidence interval , diabetes mellitus , tooth loss , quality of life (healthcare) , population , behavioral risk factor surveillance system , oral health , gerontology , cross sectional study , odds , dentistry , environmental health , logistic regression , nursing , pathology , endocrinology
Objective To determine the association between health‐related quality of life ( HRQOL ) and oral health in older U.S. adults with diabetes mellitus ( DM ). Design Cross‐sectional. Setting Data from the U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2006, 2008, and 2010. Participants Nationally representative sample of 70,363 adults aged 65 and older with DM . Results Older adults with DM were more likely to report permanent tooth loss due to caries or periodontal disease than those without (82.3% vs 74.3%, P < .001) and less likely to receive dental care in the past year (59.0% vs 70.9%, P < .001). Loss of permanent teeth from caries or periodontal disease was associated with 1.25 times greater odds of worse self‐rated general health (95% confidence interval ( CI ) = 1.13–1.37). Lack of dental care in the preceding 12 months was associated with 1.34 times greater odds of worse self‐rated general health (95% CI = 1.25–1.44) than receiving dental care in the preceding 12 months. Poor dentition and longer time since last dental visit were associated with more physically unhealthy days. Conclusions Poor dentition and lack of dental care were associated with worse HRQOL in older adults with DM . Further research is needed to determine whether better oral health improves HRQOL in this population.