Perda dentária: fatores associados e impacto na qualidade de vida de pessoas idosas residentes em zona rural

Abstract

The oral health of elderly people living in rural areas is considered to be more compromised than those who live in urban areas. The reflection of this situation may be a high impact related to quality of life in oral health. In this sense, the objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of tooth loss - expressed by total edentulism, functional edentulism, pairs in occlusion, functional teeth and residual roots -, the associated factors and impact on quality of life in elderly people living in rural areas. . To this end, a sample of 213 elderly people was evaluated, with a loss of 26 individuals, based on a draw with the lists of elderly people from each Basic Health Unit in the rural area of the municipality of São Bento/PB. Subjects were clinically examined for tooth loss and oral health quality of life was assessed by the GOHAI. Data analysis was performed using the chi-square test and robust Poisson regression for a significance level of 5%. Tooth loss in elderly people living in rural areas represented by total edentulism was 48.8% (95% IC 42.2 – 55.5%), functional edentulism was 95.3% (95% IC 95.0 – 98.1%), no pair in occlusion of 82.6% (95% IC 77.5 – 87.7%), few – less than 5 – functional teeth of 68.5% (95% IC 62.2 – 74,7%) and a high number of residual roots of 14.6% (95% IC 9.9 – 19.3%). The factors associated with edentulism, representing tooth loss, were female gender (RP = 1.15), assessment of oral health as good or very good (RP = 1.18), oral hygiene performed with individual preventive methods or just water (RP = 1.32), polypharmacy (RP = 1.12) and last dentist appointment more than 3 years ago (RP = 1.09). There was no association between tooth loss and the impact on oral health quality of life. It is concluded that tooth loss in elderly people living in rural areas was high, as was the low functionality of the teeth present and the lack of oral health care for this population, evidenced by the large presence of total edentulism.