The mean age of subjects was 83 years and the majority had one or more chronic medical conditions and physical disabilities. Their main oral problems were high rates of tooth loss and xerostomia. Additive and simple count methods were used to derive GOHAI and OHIP-14 scores. Using the additive method, 8.4% had a GOHAI score of zero and 30.3% an OHIP-14 score of zero. Using the simple count method the percentage with a score of zero was 15.1% and 45.8%. Both measures discriminated between dentate subjects with and without one or more dentures, with and without a chewing problem and with and without dry mouth. Both also showed significant associations with self-rated oral health and satisfaction with oral health status. Associations tended to be stronger between GOHAI scores and these variables. The measures were equally good at predicting overall psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Although the GOHAI identified more oral functional and psychosocial impacts than the OHIP-14, neither was markedly superior to the other when used as discriminatory measures. However, the high prevalence of subjects with zero scores may compromise the ability of the OHIP-14 to detect within-subject change.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that many older adults have problems chewing, pain, difficulties in eating, and problems in social relationships because of oral disorders. However, it is not clear if these functional and psychosocial outcomes affect broader psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Consequently, this paper begins to address the question, 'Does poor oral health compromise the quality of life?'. Initial cross-sectional analyses used data derived from the seven-year follow-up of the Ontario Study of the Oral Health of Older Adults. As at baseline and three-year follow-up, oral health was measured by self-ratings of oral health and five oral health indices. Psychological well-being and life satisfaction were assessed according to the Morale Index, the Perceived Life Stress Questionnaire, The Life Satisfaction Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire. All oral health variables were significantly associated with scores from the first three of these measures in the expected direction. These associations remained after we controlled for other potential influences on the quality of life. In addition, prospective analysis indicated that self-perceived oral health at three years had a significant independent effect on psychological well-being and life satisfaction at seven years. These results suggest that poor self-perceived oral health and relatively poor quality of life co-exist in the same subgroup of older adults.

These results indicate the need to develop health promotion life style programs that incorporate both dental and general health components and to target these programs to younger age groups, males, and those with low incomes.

Longitudinal studies of the oral health of older adults are necessary for the measurement of disease incidence and identification of risk factors for oral disease. Loss of respondents to follow‐up may, however, seriously bias longitudinal results. Using data from the 1989 and 1992 waves of the Ontario Study of the Oral Health of Older Adults, this paper examines loss to follow‐up by comparing the characteristics of lost and retained respondents in terms of clinically‐defined and self‐rated oral health, sociodemographic characteristics, general health status, and health behaviours. Of the original 907 respondents who completed an interview and clinical examination, 611 participated in the 3‐yr follow‐up study. Study attrition rates were higher in the edentulous group. Although some statistically significant differences were found between those retained and lost, the magnitude of the differences was small and unlikely to seriously bias estimates of incidence or risk. These results illustrate the need to consider study attrition, response rates and comparisons of retained and lost to follow‐up respondents in reporting the results of longitudinal studies. Without such information, confidence in the population estimates derived from those studies is undermined.

– Objectives: This paper compares the performance of the GOHAI and the OHIP‐14 as measures of the oral health‐related quality of life of the compromised elderly. Methods: Data were obtained from a cross‐sectional survey of 225 participants, most of whom lived in a large geriatric care centre. Results: The mean age of subjects was 83 years and the majority had one or more chronic medical conditions and physical disabilities. Their main oral problems were high rates of tooth loss and xerostomia. Additive and simple count methods were used to derive GOHAI and OHIP‐14 scores. Using the additive method, 8.4% had a GOHAI score of zero and 30.3% an OHIP‐14 score of zero. Using the simple count method the percentage with a score of zero was 15.1% and 45.8%. Both measures discriminated between dentate subjects with and without one or more dentures, with and without a chewing problem and with and without dry mouth. Both also showed significant associations with self‐rated oral health and satisfaction with oral health status. Associations tended to be stronger between GOHAI scores and these variables. The measures were equally good at predicting overall psychological well‐being and life satisfaction. Although the GOHAI identified more oral functional and psychosocial impacts than the OHIP‐14, neither was markedly superior to the other when used as discriminatory measures. However, the high prevalence of subjects with zero scores may compromise the ability of the OHIP‐14 to detect within‐subject change.