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July 29, 2026Open Access

Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life by Age and Gender: A Cross‐Sectional Study of Home‐Dwelling Older Adults

JFJessica FribergDalarna University SNSusanna NordinDalarna University SLSusanne LindqvistUniversity of East Anglia

Key Points

Investigate differences in oral health-related quality of life by age and gender among home-dwelling older adults.
Stratified random sample of 1344 individuals aged 65-85 years from a Swedish region.
Self-reported oral health measurements were collected alongside socioeconomic factors.
Beta-binomial regression models were used to analyze OHRQoL assessed by the OIDP instrument.
Response rate was 62.1% (n = 834) with 32.9% reporting impaired OHRQoL.
Women aged 70-74, 75-79, and 80-85 reported lower OIDP burden compared to those aged 65-69 (PRs 0.53, 0.65, 0.49 respectively).
Poorer self-reported general health and lower income were associated with a higher OIDP burden.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) reflects the impact of oral health on daily activities. Understanding how OHRQoL varies by age and gender among older adults remains limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate differences in OHRQoL by age and gender among home-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A stratified random sample (2%) of individuals aged 65-85 years from a Swedish region was selected by gender and age (N = 1344). Data collection included self-reported oral health measurements and health behaviours complemented by socioeconomic factors from the national register. OHRQoL was assessed by the validated 9-item Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) instrument. Beta-binomial regression models were used to analyse the proportion of affected OIDP items across gender- and age groups adjusted for smoking status, income, general health status, toothbrushing frequency and dental care type. The estimates are reported as proportion ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The response rate was 62.1% (n = 834), and 32.9% (n = 270) reported impaired OHRQoL. The unadjusted model showed no overall gender difference in the proportion of affected OIDP items. In the adjusted model, women in all older age groups (70-74 years: PRs = 0.53 0.35-0.81; 75-79: PRs = 0.65 0.44-0.96; 80-85: PRs = 0.49 0.31-0.77), and men aged 75-79 years (PRs = 0.55 0.34-0.88) reported a lower OIDP burden than those aged 65-69 years. Poorer self-reported general health, lower income and use of public or nonregular dental care were associated with higher OIDP burden. CONCLUSION: OHRQoL varied by gender, age, income, self-perceived health and dental care regularity in this sample. Lower OIDP burden was observed among older participants, particularly women. These findings underscore the complexity of OHRQoL and suggest age- and gender differences in how older adults perceive, interpret and report oral health impacts.

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