Oral Cleaning Habits and Quality of Life in the Elderly

Objectives: This exploratory study aims to characterize oral cleaning habits in the elderly and evaluate their impact on quality of life.
Methods: The study, approved by a state-recognized Ethical Committee, included 80 elderly who attended a university dental clinic in Portugal over a 3-month period. Inclusion criteria were age 65+ years, being non-institutionalized and having signed informed consent. Participants were distributed into four groups according to their age (years): 65-70, 71-75, 76-80 and 81+. Information was gathered through a questionnaire about oral cleaning habits (toothbrushing frequency, use of interdental cleaning aids (ICA) and mouthrinses) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was obtained through Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). It was considered having “good oral cleaning habits”, brushing twice or more a day and using ICA or mouthrinses.OHRQoL was classified according to GOHAI scores as “high” (34-36), “moderate” (30-33) or “low” (<30). Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical methodologies. A significance level of 5% (p=0.05) was considered.
Results: The majority of participants brush their teeth twice or more a day (76.3%). Also, the majority use mouthrinses (65.0%), except for the age group 76-80, where 46.2% use them. Concerning the use of ICA, the majority (61.3%) do not use them. However, in the age group 76-80, the majority of the participants use them (53.8%). According to our criteria, 63.7% of all participants have good cleaning habits. The distribution according to their OHRQoL score was the following: 36.3% (high), 32.5% (moderate), and 31.3% (low). No significant association was found between the OHRQoL and age (p=0.260) or the oral cleaning habits (p=0.967).
Conclusions: Overall, participants exhibit good oral cleaning habits, with the majority brushing their teeth twice a day or more often. The majority do not use any ICA but uses mouthrinses. OHRQoL was not found to be related to oral cleaning habits.