Magnifying the Senescence: Impact of Oral Health on Quality of Life and Daily Performance in Geriatrics: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to study the behavior of the GOHAI as well as the OIDPs as potent measures in oral health related to quality of life in senior citizens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An outreach program-based cross-sectional study conducted in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of 340 study participants aged >60 years were selected from outreach program which were held between January 2017 and April 2017 based on inclusion and exclusion criterion. The dental health status and its influence on the self-perceived value of life was assessed using GOHAI and OIDP index among the participants. The data were estimated using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Chi-square analysis and Pearson correlation were used to test the significance of the independent variables and the distinct the overall oral impact scores in groups with different dental status. RESULTS: OIDP shows that most of the patients are suffering from eating food (57.74) and speaking clearly (45.96). GOHAI shows that most of the geriatric population with a lowest mean score of 2.12 and 2.13 were difficulty in chewing food and sorrowful with the condition of mouth and teeth. Similarly, a lower number of population of 3.68 had difficulty in swallowing food. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of OIDPs in this geriatric population was high. Oral impact mainly effect their quality or value of life leading to difficulty in eating and verbal communication.