Dental News - Seniors’ perception of oral health affects treatment seeking, study says

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 9. October 2019

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CLEVELAND, U.S.: Dental Tribune International recently reported on an article that highlighted the significance of oral health for systematic health and demonstrated how this relationship becomes more critical with age. Now, a new study has examined how older adults perceive the importance of their own oral health and has found that a person’s perception of dental care may affect whether he or she decides to seek treatment. The results suggest that restructuring elderly people’s perception of the importance of dental conditions could help prevent edentulism and improve oral health-related quality of life.

The research was carried out at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. The researchers surveyed 198 residents aged 62 and older from 16 senior housing facilities in Northeast Ohio. They then assessed the cognitive and emotional representation of the participants’ dental conditions through a questionnaire that included 43 questions related to oral health illness perception. In addition, the researchers collected information on the participants’ demographics, the perceived condition of their teeth and gingivae, depression, social support and oral health-related quality of life. The participants were then examined for any missing teeth, the presence of coronal and root caries, and periodontitis.

In the study, the researchers developed a new questionnaire based on the Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation, which helps describe a person’s perception of chronic issues. This new integrated Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised for Dental Use in Older/Elder Adults was developed for single and multiple dental conditions. “First, we wanted to develop a new survey instrument that can measure seniors’ perception of oral diseases,” said lead author Prof. Suchitra Nelson, Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research in the Department of Community Dentistry at the school. “Once we can measure this, then we can design behavioral interventions to see if they seek treatment.”

The study found that the participants had a skewed perception of oral health that was associated with a lower quality of life. “We speculate that if seniors value dental care, they’ll seek it out,” Nelson noted. “Barriers—such as cost, transportation and other medical issues—should not interfere if beliefs about the importance of dental care are high enough,” she concluded.

Demographic factors, such as race, marital status, housing and level of education, were not significant. The researchers noted that the model used in the study could serve as a means to design behavioral interventions to help change seniors’ perceptions about their oral health.

The study, titled “The psychometric properties of a new oral health illness perception measure for adults aged 62 years and older,” was published online on April 10, 2019, in PLOS ONE.

The article mentioned in the introduction can be found here.

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One thought on “Seniors’ perception of oral health affects treatment seeking, study says”

Allen samuelson says:

October 18, 2019 at 4:28 pm

In actuality, DENTISTS perceptions of their role as professionals needs to change. It is the dentist who shapes the thought patterns, opinions, and concepts of health that are absorbed by those they serve. A health orientation vs a surgical approach is what is required. When a patient comes to a dental office only to be told they “need treatment” patients are depressed, feel loss of control, feel as if they are wasting money etc. Rather, a cogent, caring, diagnostically driven blended with a prognostication of at least hope will allow the patient to understand the issues at hand. This should never be presented such that the patient will then “buy a load of dental treatment” but rather stimulate interest and the value of preservation and conservation of their dentition through knowledge and wisdom, preventive control patterns with the aid of the dentist. Dentists are LONG TERM HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, not short term surgical technicians. We are more like Family Practice Physicians rather than orthopedic surgeons (who may see a patient four or five times). Indeed it is embarrassing if a dentist has to “continually do surgery” on a patient— no they should educate, inspire and work with the patient such that they need minimal treatment as time progresses…..When teeth cannot be treated the patient should fully understand why and be given time to process this information.
THE DENTAL PROFESSION is at fault NOT PATIENTS!!!!!
Very respectfully—-there’s no dentistry like no dentistry and the best dentistry is none at all.
Allen samuelson DDS
Chapel Hill, NC

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