Robert Gordon University, Health and Social Care, Garthdee Campus, Aberdeen, UK.
Br Dent J. 2019 Jul;227(2):115-120. doi: 10.1038/s41415-019-0487-0.
Introduction Considering the growing ageing populations and the impact of oral health in the wellbeing of older adults, there is a need for understanding dental care utilisation among this group. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between living arrangements, oral health status and dental care utilisation of older adults in the UK.Design In this study, complete case analyses were carried out for the Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) 2009 wave including 1,251 older adults aged 75 years and over. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to explore the relationship between living arrangements and oral health outcomes of older adults.Results Findings from this study show that almost half (45.2%) of the study population were living alone at the time the ADHS 2009 data were collected. At P <0.05, older adults living alone were more likely to have a denture (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.09, 1.79), poor self-rated oral health status (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.00, 1.64) and poor dental care attendance (OR = 1.60-95% CI 1.35, 2.15) compared to those that lived with someone.Conclusions Living arrangements as a form of social support seems to play a role in understanding the accessibility of dental care for older adults.
简介
考虑到人口老龄化的增长以及口腔健康对老年人健康的影响，需要了解这一群体的口腔保健利用情况。本研究的目的是调查英国老年人的居住安排、口腔健康状况和口腔保健利用之间的关系。
设计
本研究对包括 1251 名 75 岁及以上老年人在内的 2009 年成人牙科健康调查（ADHS）进行了完整病例分析。采用逻辑回归分析探讨了老年人居住安排与口腔健康结果之间的关系。
结果
本研究结果显示，在 ADHS 2009 年数据收集时，研究人群中有近一半（45.2%）独居。在 P <0.05 水平上，独居的老年人更有可能戴假牙（OR = 1.40，95%CI 1.09，1.79）、自评口腔健康状况较差（OR = 1.28，95%CI 1.00，1.64）和口腔保健就诊率较低（OR = 1.60-95%CI 1.35，2.15），与与他人同住的老年人相比。
结论
作为一种社会支持形式的居住安排似乎在理解老年人获得口腔保健的便利性方面发挥了作用。
