Self-perceived oral health status, chewing ability and longevity in the elderly

Abstract

The scope of this article is to assess the oral health conditions and self-perceived chewing ability among the elderly seniors (≥ 80 years). Data from the FIBRA multicentric study were used. The sample consisted of 2,341 individuals with no cognitive impairment, aged ≥ 65 years, between 2008 and 2009, where the elderly were subjected to data collection. Regarding the outcome, age was dichotomized into 65-79 and 80 and over. The association between longevity and the socio-demographic and behavioral variables, general and oral health and self-perceived chewing ability was assessed by Poisson regression. Complete data are now available for 2,126 seniors. The mean age was 70.91 (SD =± 4.11) years among the young elderly and 82.70 (SD =± 2.61) among the elderly seniors. The sample of individuals aged ≥ 80 years was 11.7%. Low education, single marital status and lack of work were associated with longevity, as well as self-reporting of having no natural teeth and difficulty or pain when chewing hard foods. The results suggest an association between longevity with sociodemographic characteristics and oral health.

Key words Elderly; Senior elderly aged 80 and over; Oral health; Self-assessment