Association between oral condition and subjective psychological well-being among older adults attending a university hospital dental clinic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Positive psychological well-being has a favorable impact on survival rates in both healthy and unhealthy populations. Oral health is also associated with psychological well-being, is multidimensional in nature, and includes physical, psychological, emotional, and social domains that are integral to overall health and well-being. This study aimed to identify the associations between individual and environmental characteristics, oral condition and nutritional status in relation to subjective well-being among older adults using the Wilson and Cleary conceptual model. The participants were older adults (age ≥ 60 years) attending a university hospital. Subjective well-being was assessed using the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index, oral condition was assessed based on the number of bacteria in the tongue coating, oral wettability, tongue pressure, occlusal force, oral diadochokinesis, and masticatory ability, and subjective swallowing function was assessed using the Eating Assessment Tool, number of remaining teeth, and number of functional teeth. In addition, factors related to well-being, including social networks, life–space mobility, nutritional status, smoking history, drinking history, and medical history were assessed. In the analysis, structural equation modeling was used to investigate the association between oral condition and subjective well-being. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed oral condition as a latent variable, including tongue pressure, oral diadochokinesis /pa/, /ta/, /ka/, occlusal force, masticatory ability, subjective swallowing function, and number of functional teeth. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that oral condition was positively correlated with nutritional status, and nutritional status was positively correlated with the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index. These findings suggest that oral condition may influence subjective well-being via nutritional status or social environmental factors.

Ethics in the Food Ecosystem from Research to Consumption in Conjunction with Oral Health Significance for Sustainability and Spirituality Purposes—Mouth: The Sacred Gateway

“…Moreover, research by Spanemberg et al [227] and Fiorillo (2019) [228] demonstrates the profound impact of oral health on overall quality of life, highlighting its pivotal role in pursuing holistic well-being. This holistic perspective is further supported by studies on oral health-related quality of life among diverse populations, including older adults (Kossioni et al 2018; Henni et al, 2023) [229,230], older adults receiving home health care services (Henni et al, 2023) [230], institutionalized residents (Wong et al, 2019; Takeuchi et al 2023) [231,232], children and adolescents (Thomson and Broder (2018) [233], individuals of varying socioeconomic status (Chaffee et al, 2017) [234], and postpartum women (Meyling et al 2023) [235].…”

A Holistic Approach for Ethics and Sustainability in the Food Chain: The Gateway to Oral and Systemic Health

“…Moreover, research by Spanemberg et al [269] and Fiorillo [270] demonstrates the profound impact of oral health on overall quality of life, highlighting its pivotal role in pursuing holistic well-being. This holistic perspective is further supported by studies on oral health-related quality of life among diverse populations, including older adults [271,272], older adults receiving home health care services [272], institutionalized residents [273,274], children and adolescents [275], individuals of varying socioeconomic status [276], and postpartum women [277].…”