IADR Abstract Archives
Oral Health among Holocaust Survivors.
Objectives: On 30 January 1933, the Nazi Party led by Adolph Hitler came to power.
On 1 April 1933, Hitler declared an economic boycott against the Jews followed by a process of denunciation and cultural and social isolation of the Jews.
On September 1, 1939, the Nazis set up the first ghetto. Conditions in the ghettos were harsh. The Jews suffered conditions of malnutrition and cold that led to the spread of diseases, plagues, the disintegration of the Jewish community, undermining of the family cell and extreme emotional distress.
The present study focuses on the long-term effects of the mass trauma the survivors were subjected to during the holocaust.
Methods: Research method: cross-sectional survey
The raw data for this study were obtained from the first national survey of health and nutrition status (Mabat) among the elderly, aged 65 and over, in Israel (Mabat Zahav).Statistical processing for this study included 1459 Jews, 396 survivors (194 men and 202 women).
The study used a short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14) that deals with 7 dimensions: functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability, psychological disability, social disability and handicap. The following independent variables were selected: age, gender, place of dwelling, level of religiosity, marital status, need for caregiver, pension, under the Nazi regime (yes/no), BMI, time of the last visit to the dentist, smoking.
Results: The total overall analysis demonstrated that these variables explained 22.2% of the variance in the two dentures dependent variable (R-Square = 0.222). The variables: age, smoking (past and present vs. non-smoking), date of last visit to a dentist, living under the Nazi regime, level of and employment were statistically significant predictors of having two dentures
Conclusions: Holocaust survivors suffer from poor oral health, due to prolonged exposure to two stress situations: physiological and psychological aspects.
On 1 April 1933, Hitler declared an economic boycott against the Jews followed by a process of denunciation and cultural and social isolation of the Jews.
On September 1, 1939, the Nazis set up the first ghetto. Conditions in the ghettos were harsh. The Jews suffered conditions of malnutrition and cold that led to the spread of diseases, plagues, the disintegration of the Jewish community, undermining of the family cell and extreme emotional distress.
The present study focuses on the long-term effects of the mass trauma the survivors were subjected to during the holocaust.
Methods: Research method: cross-sectional survey
The raw data for this study were obtained from the first national survey of health and nutrition status (Mabat) among the elderly, aged 65 and over, in Israel (Mabat Zahav).Statistical processing for this study included 1459 Jews, 396 survivors (194 men and 202 women).
The study used a short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14) that deals with 7 dimensions: functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability, psychological disability, social disability and handicap. The following independent variables were selected: age, gender, place of dwelling, level of religiosity, marital status, need for caregiver, pension, under the Nazi regime (yes/no), BMI, time of the last visit to the dentist, smoking.
Results: The total overall analysis demonstrated that these variables explained 22.2% of the variance in the two dentures dependent variable (R-Square = 0.222). The variables: age, smoking (past and present vs. non-smoking), date of last visit to a dentist, living under the Nazi regime, level of and employment were statistically significant predictors of having two dentures
Conclusions: Holocaust survivors suffer from poor oral health, due to prolonged exposure to two stress situations: physiological and psychological aspects.