Impact of Dental Health on the Daily Living of Geriatric Population Visiting Dental Hospitals of Rawalpindi.

Abstract

Objectives: • To assess the impact of dental health on the daily living of geriatric population. • To determine the factors that influence the relationship between dental health and daily living of geriatric population. Methodology: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional study was carried out during a period of six months at public and private dental hospitals of Rawalpindi. Participants of age 60 years and above, both male and female were selected. Calculated sample size was 281. By using simple random sampling technique, one dental hospital was selected. Desired sample from that dental hospital was collected using non-probability consecutive sampling strategy. Data was collected about socio-demographic characteristics and DMFT index. Adapted validated tool dental impact on daily living (DIDL) was used to assess the impact of dental health on daily living. Results: Results of Chi-Square test of association showed a positive association between the dental impact on daily living (DIDL) and sociodemographic variables including Age (p-value=0.001), Gender (p-value=0.001), Education (p-value=0.001), Income(p value=0.001), occupation(p-value=0.029), marital status(p-value=0.001), living arrangement (p-value=0.001), and history of chronic illness (p-value=0.001). The results of association between the DMFT index and dental impact on daily living (DIDL) also showed statistically significant results (p-Value=0.001). Binary Logistic Regression Analysis indicated gender [OR= 6.98, p-value=0.005] and dental health of the individual obtained using decayed, missing, filled teeth [OR= 6.43, p-value=0.001] are the strongest predictors of the level of impact experienced in daily life activities. xii The overall model was statistically significant [X2=51.24, p-value=0.001] and the variables were responsible for 32.4% of the variance in the outcome variable. Conclusion: This study highlighted the effect of age, gender, income, education, marital status and the dental health condition on the daily lives of geriatric population. The significance of oral hygiene and preventive care influence daily lives. The findings emphasize the need of targeted interventions and support to mitigate the impact of dental health issues on overall quality of life. Keywords: Dental health, daily living, Oral health related quality of life, Decayed missing filled teeth, Geriatric population.