Implications of Edentulism on Quality of Life among Elderly

This study aimed was to test the association between quality of life and edentulism among elderly individuals in a city in southeastern Brazil. This cross-sectional study was carried out with 163 individuals aged 60 years or older, functionally independent and non-institutionalized. Data were collected with a questionnaire and oral examination. The edentulism was the dependent variable. The independent variables were sex, age, household income and quality of life (WHOQOL-Old) and their scores. To assess the association between the dependent variable and independent variables was used bivariate analysis (p < 0. 10). Poisson regression model was performed, adjusting for age and sex. The average age of participants was 69 years (± 6. 1), 68. 7% were female and 52. 8% were diagnosed as completely edentulous (90% CI: 0. 33-1. 24). When the independent variables were associated to the prevalence of edentulism, statistically significant associations were found for age (p = 0. 03) and social participation dimension of the WHOQOL-Old (p = 0. 08). In the Poisson regression, social participation remained statistically associated to edentulism RP = 2. 12 90% CI (1. 10-4. 00). The social participation proved to have a significant association to edentulism, thereby attesting to the negative effect of this condition on social aspects.