Effects of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) on Depression and Quality of Life among Community-dwelling Korean Elderly Persons

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between oral health impact profile, depression and quality of life among community-dwelling elderly persons in South Korea. METHODS: The design of this research was cross-sectional descriptive study. The participants were 266 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and older. Data were collected from November 20 to December 20, 2011. The measurements for assessing the subjects' oral health, depression, quality of life were OHIP-14, GDS-SF and QOL. Data were collected using self-administered or interviewer-administered questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The participants' mean age was 77.68, and 86.5% were female, 42.9% were living-alone elders. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis found that oral health impact profile was significantly associated with depression (r=-.622, p<.001), QOL (r=-.400, p<.001), number of disease (r=.298, p<.001), age (r=.198, p=.002), education (r=-.149, p=.015), eating habit (r=.185, p=.003). The QOL was explained 54.7% by depression (beta=-.619), oral health impact profile (beta=-.127), number of benefited welfare service (beta=.235), perceived health (beta=-.327), eating habit (beta=-.094) using stepwise multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the intervention program of oral health promotion for community-dwelling elders is needed from now on.