Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Oral health is an integral component of general health and is essential for general well-being, especially among the elderly people, where poor oral health forms a deadly concoction with non-communicable diseases and this has a devastating effect on the overall quality of life. Oral diseases restrict their activities both inside and outside the house with both functional and psychosocial impact. Aims & Objectives: To find out the awareness about oral health and impact of oral health on the quality of life of geriatric population.
Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was undertaken in a slum of Chetla, under the purview of Urban Health Centre, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata. Response to each question in the questionnaire was given a weighted score and the composite scores assessed the awareness and impact of oral health among the study population.
Results: Out of a total of 145 elderly persons, the mean (SD) knowledge score was 5.56 (2.619) and the mean (SD) overall impact score was 32.89(16.31). The prevalence % of all the domains were >50% and the mean score of each domain was >2 which reflected a high impact of oral health on the quality of life of the geriatric population. Also decreased knowledge scores (OR 0.464, 95% CI 0.224-0.963) were significantly associated with overall oral health impact on daily life. Conclusion: There is a need to provide sensitive and effective oral health services that are accessible, appropriate, acceptable and affordable to the elderly.