Relationships between oral health-related quality of life and the patterns of remaining teeth in the middle-aged and elderly

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and the patterns of remaining teeth in dif- ferent age groups. A total of 512 independent community-dwelling people (age: 68.0 ± 7.0, female: 65.9%) in Ohasama participated in this study. Subjects were divided into four categories by the patterns of remaining teeth and divided into three age groups (≤65 years, 66-71 years, ≥72 years). To evaluate OHRQoL, the Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP) scale was administered. According to the result of multiple regression analyses, in all age groups, the patterns of remain- ing teeth had significant associations with OHRQoL. Correlations appeared to be stronger between the patterns of remaining teeth and OHRQoL in the elderly group than in the middle-aged group. These results suggest that the maintenance of occlusal support and tooth retention are important to maintain quality of life levels later in life.