scholarly journals Oral Health Matters- Tooth Problem and its Treatment-seeking Behaviour Among Older Adults in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shobhit Srivast ◽  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Debashree Sinha ◽  
Prem Shankar Mishra

Abstract Background: Growing untreated morbidities among the older adults on geriatric issues especially an optimal dental treatment has become an unfinished agenda and a long-neglected area for care and management in many low and middle-income countries. There is a continuous rise in the older population in India and at the same time, the rising of co-morbidities or multi-morbidities in the aging population creates catastrophic challenges at the individuals, household, community, and country levels, and therefore, it is important to address dental health problems and related issues in the aged population in India. The study aims to understand the prevalence of dental health problems and their health-seeking behaviour among older adults in India. Further, the study determines the factors associated with low access and under-coverage of dental health care services among the elderly populations in IndiaMethods: The present research used data from Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India (BKPAI) which was a national level survey and was conducted in 2011, across seven states of India. The effective sample size of this study was 9541 older adults aged 60+ years. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to fulfill the study objectives. Additionally, the study employed the Heckprobit selection model which is a two-equation model to understand the determinants of dental health problems.Results: Older adults in the age group of 70-79 years (36.9%) and 80+ years (51.9%) reported higher dental problems compared to 60-69 years (19.9%), older women reported more dental problems (29.2%) and also used more dental aids (12.6%) compared to older men. Older adults in the age group 70-79 and 80+ years were 0.15 times and 0.40 times less likely to use dental aids respectively, as compared to 60-69 years older adults. Moreover, older women were 0.28 times more likely to use dental aids than older men. Education and wealth of older adults have a negative relationship with dental problems.Conclusion: This study clearly emphasized that awareness of smoking-related health problems should be promoted vigorously. Further, a holistic approach is needed to prevent dental diseases that occur because of other co-morbidities. For that, integration of the oral health program with programs dealing with morbidities can act as a solution to the existing problem.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shobhit Srivast ◽  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Debashree Sinha ◽  
Prem Shankar Mishra

Abstract Background: Growing untreated morbidities among the older adults on geriatric issues especially an optimal dental treatment has become an unfinished agenda and a long-neglected area for care and management in many low and middle-income countries. There is a continuous rise in the older population in India and at the same time, the rising of co-morbidities or multi-morbidities in the aging population creates catastrophic challenges at the individuals, household, community, and country levels, and therefore, it is important to address dental health problems and related issues in the aged population in India. The present study is an attempt to understand the prevalence of tooth related problems and their health-seeking behavior among the older adults in India.Methods: The present research used data from Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India (BKPAI) which was a national level survey and was conducted in 2011, across seven states of India. The effective sample size of this study was 9541 older adults aged 60+ years. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to fulfill the study objectives. Additionally, the study employed the Heckprobit selection model which is a two-equation model to understand the determinants of dental health problems.Results: Older adults in the age group of 70-79 years (36.9%) and 80+ years (51.9%) reported higher dental problems compared to 60-69 years (19.9%). Moreover, older women reported more dental problems (29.2%) and also used more dental aids (12.6%) compared to older men. Older adults in the age group 70-79 and 80+ years were 0.15 times and 0.40 times less likely to use dental aids respectively, as compared to 60-69 years older adults. Moreover, older women were 0.28 times more likely to use dental aids than older men. Education and wealth of older adults have a negative relationship with dental problems.Conclusion: This study clearly emphasized that awareness of tooth related problems should be promoted vigorously. Further, a holistic approach is needed to prevent dental diseases that occur because of other co-morbidities. For that, integration of the oral health program with programs dealing with morbidities can act as a solution to the existing problem.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yemin Yuan ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Peipei Fu ◽  
Zhengyue Jing ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Evidence concerning the association between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function among older people is inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate gender and age as moderators in association between BMI and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among rural older adults. Methods Data were derived from the 2019 Health Service for Rural Elderly Families Survey in Shandong, China. In total, 3242 people aged 60 years and above were included in the analysis. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was used to examine the moderating roles of gender and age, then further to explore the relationship between BMI and MCI. Results There were 601 (18.5%) participants with MCI. Compared with normal BMI group, low BMI group had a higher risk of MCI among older people [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26–3.44], women (aOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.35–3.12), or the older elderly aged ≥75 years old (aOR = 3.20, 95% CI: 1.34–7.45). This effect remained statistically significant among older women (aOR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.69–6.73). Among older men, elevated BMI group had a higher risk of MCI (aOR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.17–4.61) than normal BMI group. Conclusions Gender and age moderated the association between BMI and MCI among Chinese rural older adults. Older women with low BMI were more likely to have MCI, but older men with elevated BMI were more likely to have MCI. These findings suggest rural community managers strengthen the health management by grouping the weight of older people to prevent the risk of dementia.


2000 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. M366-M371 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Ritchie ◽  
K. Joshipura ◽  
R. A. Silliman ◽  
B. Miller ◽  
C. W. Douglas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deleon Fergus ◽  
Yi-Hua Chen ◽  
Ying-Chih Chuang ◽  
Ai-Hsuan Ma ◽  
Kun-Yang Chuang

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to determine whether gender impacts potential associations between social relationships, sociodemographic, health and behavioural factors with resilience among older Taiwanese adults. Methods High and low resilience of older adults was determined based on the median value of the Friborg’s Resilience Scale. An independent sample t-test, χ2, and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine predictors for resilience which were then stratified by gender. Results Older women were less likely to be resilient than older men. Marital status, age, financial stress, and satisfaction with one's living environment were only significant in women. Traditional gender roles in the wider Taiwanese context can be attributed to these differences. Conclusions The relationships between gender, sociodemographics, health, and social and behavioural factors with resilience provide unique insights into how culture shapes trends in data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S349-S349
Author(s):  
Bei Wu ◽  
Stephen K Shuman ◽  
Michele Saunders

Abstract There is an increasing awareness of the importance of oral health and its associated risk factors among older adults. This symposium includes four papers that address cognitive function, social support and oral health problems and symptoms among older adults in the U.S. and China. Lu and his colleagues examined the reciprocal relationship between cognitive function and complete tooth loss Chinese adults age 50+ using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal study. The results show that there is a reciprocal relationship between these two indicators. The second paper used the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) and examined the associations between tooth/gums symptoms and changes in cognitive function in Chinese older immigrants. The results reveal that having teeth symptoms was associated with a decline in cognitive function. Using the same PINE data, the third paper examined the association between different characteristics of social relationships and the number of oral health problems among U.S. older Chinese adults. Wu and her colleagues conducted a partner-assisted pilot intervention to improve oral health for community-dwelling older adults with either mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. The results of this 6-month intervention show that persons in the treatment group had more improvement in oral hygiene than those in the control group. Findings from these four papers illustrate that cognitive function, social support, and oral health are interrelated. This symposium highlights the importance of improving cognitive health, social support, and oral health for middle-aged and older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 186-195
Author(s):  
Bei Wu ◽  
Yaolin Pei ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Mary Northridge

Objectives: This study aims to examine the associations among immigrant status, resilience, and perceived oral health for Chinese American older adults in Hawaii. Method: Data derived from 430 Chinese American adults aged 55 years and older residing in Honolulu, HI. We compared the self-rated oral health and oral health problems between U.S.-born Chinese Americans and foreign-born Chinese Americans by using ordered logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models. Results: Findings suggest that immigrant status and lower levels of resilience are associated with poorer self-rated oral health and more oral health problems for Chinese American older adults in Hawaii. Resilience is more strongly associated with self-rated oral health for U.S.-born Chinese American than for foreign-born Chinese Americans, but this pattern was not evident for oral health problems. Discussion: Older Chinese American immigrants in Hawaii are disadvantaged in terms of their oral health. Understanding their susceptibilities may lead to targeted interventions.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e034645
Author(s):  
Ming-Chun Hsueh ◽  
Ru Rutherford ◽  
Chien-Chih Chou ◽  
Jong-Hwan Park ◽  
Hyun-Tae Park ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo objectively assess light physical activity (PA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), step counts and number of 10 min MVPA bouts and their association with physical function among older adults.DesignCross-sectional design.SettingUrban community setting in Taiwan.Participants127 Taiwanese older adults aged over 65 years (mean age=70.8±5.3 years; 72% women).Primary and secondary outcome measuresTriaxial accelerometers were used to measure PA variables for 10 hours/day for seven consecutive days. Then, five physical function components (handgrip strength, single-leg stance, 5-metre walk speed, timed up and go and sit-to-stand test) were measured. Multiple linear regressions were used to perform separate analyses for older men and women.ResultsFor older women, daily MVPA time (β: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.64; p=0.004), daily step counts (β: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.78; p=0.009) and number of 10 min MVPA bouts (β: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.53; p=0.049) were positively associated with handgrip strength after adjusting for accelerometer wear time, sedentary time and other confounders. Furthermore, daily MVPA time was positively associated with a single-leg stance (β: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.49; p=0.036) and higher daily step counts were associated with shorter walking speed performance (β: −0.31, 95% CI: −0.57, −0.001; p=0.049). None of the variables of the objectively assessed PA patterns was associated with physical function outcomes among older men due to their small sample size.ConclusionsDaily MVPA, MVPA bouts of at least 10 min and accumulated daily steps are important for improving physical function among older women. Future prospective research should establish causal associations between PA patterns and functional ability among older adults.


1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Meyerowitz

The population of older adults is heterogeneous and can be divided into many subgroups: the young-old, the old-old, the healthy, the sick, the frail, the mentally and physically handicapped, the ambulatory, the chair-bound, house-bound or institution-bound, and the economically advantaged and disadvantaged. This diversity is extremely important to the discussion of the oral health needs, preventive health strategies, and research agenda for the elderly. As life expectancy increases, more attention is being paid to disease prevention so that the quality of life in old age can be improved. However, the link among oral health, systemic disease, and quality of life in the elderly needs to be better-defined. There is some evidence in the literature that indicates that coronal and root caries appear to be major health problems for the elderly. This needs to be corroborated in longitudinal studies. Although periodontal disease prevalence and severity are high in some subgroups of the elderly, these appear to be in decline in the general population. Dental health-care workers must be cognizant of the oral conditions associated with systemic disease and the use of medication, a major concern in older adults. Prevention of oral disease in the elderly requires early intervention, education of the dental health team, and innovative uses of well-established preventive agents such as fluoride. An extensive research effort is needed to answer basic and applied questions regarding the oral health needs of the elderly. Federal and private funding will be necessary. The dental profession will have to demonstrate and be persuasive that money spent on research and care for the elderly is money well spent.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annlia Paganini-Hill ◽  
Stuart C. White ◽  
Kathryn A. Atchison

In the last decade the effect of oral health on the general health and mortality of elderly people has attracted attention. We explored the association of dental health behaviors and dentition on all-cause mortality in 5611 older adults followed from 1992 to 2009 (median=9years) and calculated risk estimates using Cox regression analysis in men and women separately. Toothbrushing at night before bed, using dental floss everyday, and visiting the dentist were significant risk factors for longevity. Never brushing at night increased risk 20–35% compared with brushing everyday. Never flossing increased risk 30% compared with flossing everyday. Not seeing a dentist within the last 12 months increased risk 30–50% compared with seeing a dentist two or more times. Mortality also increased with increasing number of missing teeth. Edentulous individuals (even with dentures) had a 30% higher risk of death compared with those with 20+ teeth. Oral health behaviors help maintain natural, healthy and functional teeth but also appear to promote survival in older adults.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document