Cognitive and Structural Social Capital as Determinants of Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life in Older Brazilians

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among older Brazilians. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), involving 9412 individuals aged 50 years or older. OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) instrument. Social capital was evaluated in two dimensions: structural (volunteer work and participation in social groups) and cognitive (trust in the neighbourhood and perception of friendships). Adjusted Poisson regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: The sample consisted predominantly of women (53.9%), participants of Black or Brown race/skin colour (56.0%), and individuals aged 60 years or older (52.4%); 73.1% had 8 years of education or less. Cognitive social capital was associated with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), whereas structural social capital was not. Participants who reported a lack of neighbourhood trust had a higher prevalence of oral impacts than those who trusted their neighbours (PR 1.21, 95% CI 1.13-1.29), and those without friends had a higher prevalence of oral impacts than those with friends (PR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04-1.22). CONCLUSION: The cognitive dimension of social capital is associated with oral health-related quality of life in older Brazilians. Public health strategies aimed at strengthening social trust and interpersonal networks can be effective in improving oral health outcomes in aging populations.