Factors associated with self-rated oral health among community-dwelling older Japanese: A cross-sectional study

ObjectivesA cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the determinants of self-rated oral health among community-dwelling older people in Japan. MethodsThe participants were 897 (357 men and 540 women) aged 65years and over who participated in a comprehensive geriatric health examination, which included an oral examination, a face-to-face interview assessing cognitive function, questionnaires regarding depressive symptoms and functional capacity, and a medical examination. The oral examination measured indices of oral health status: number of present teeth, number of functional teeth, occlusal force and amount of resting saliva. Multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the factors associated with poor self-rated oral health. ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 73.55.0years. The prevalence of poor and rather poor self-rated oral health was 11.5% and 29.5%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the number of present teeth (odds ratio [OR] 0.97, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.95-0.99), difficulty in mastication (OR 3.20, CI 2.18-4.70), presence of xerostomia (OR 1.43, CI 1.02-2.01), total score on the MoCA-J (OR 1.06, CI 1.01-1.11), and reduction in frequency of leaving the house (OR 1.64, CI 1.12-2.41) were significantly associated with poor self-rated oral health. ConclusionsThe present results suggested that self-rated oral health was a significant factor in oral health status as well as overall well-being among community-dwelling older Japanese people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 755-761.