Impact on the Quality of Life of Older Adults Who Use Inadequate Dental Prostheses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate the impact of inadequate prostheses on older adult's quality of life at the Integrated Health Center for Older Adults in the northeastern city of Brazil. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 147 older adults aged 60-90 years old in Joao Pessoa, Brazil. Interviews and oral examinations were carried out to collect demographic characteristics (age and gender) and clinical dental measures (use of inadequate upper and/or lower dental prosthesis) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14 Questionnaire). The Pearson Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate the association between the OHIP-14 dimensions and the use of unsatisfactory prostheses (p<0.05). Results: The sample consisted of 90.5% of women being a mean age of 69.86 (+/- 6.60) years. Individuals with inadequate prostheses had a higher impact on quality of life, with a predominant prevalence ratio for developing physical pain (PRR = 3.52; CI = 4.69-2.65), psychological discomfort (PRR = 5.0; CI = 5.85-4.26) and psychological inability (PRR = 1.71; CI = 2.56-1.14). Conclusion: The use of inadequate prostheses had a negative impact on the quality of life of the older adult population. Therefore, services, which provide health care for older adults, should overcome this reality by providing broad access to oral rehabilitation that is appropriate to the needs of each individual.