Abstract
Background: Edentulism is a major oral health concern among elderly populations and may significantly affect oral health-related quality of life. This study assessed edentulism and oral health-related quality of life among rural elderly people in Swat, Pakistan, with special focus on gender disparities and barriers to dental care.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was used, and data were collected from 200 elderly respondents aged 60 years and above through a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 27.
Results: The results showed that 50.5% of respondents had partial edentulism, 11.5% had complete edentulism, and 38.0% had no edentulism. The mean number of missing teeth was 9.60 ± 10.19. Only 11.5% of respondents reported denture use, while 70.0% had not visited a dentist during the last 12 months. The mean OHRQoL total score was 21.95 ± 9.10, indicating a noticeable oral health impact on daily life. Regarding OHRQoL severity, 56.0% had a moderate impact, 20.5% had a high impact, and 23.5% had a low impact. Gender differences were significant for edentulism status (χ² = 7.095, p = 0.029) and OHRQoL severity (χ² = 18.437, p < .001). Female respondents reported significantly poorer OHRQoL than males (24.57 ± 8.76 vs. 19.22 ± 8.68, p < .001) and had more missing teeth (11.17 ± 10.52 vs. 7.96 ± 9.62, p = 0.025). OHRQoL differed significantly across edentulism groups (F = 442.648, p < .001), with the highest impact among completely edentulous respondents. Missing teeth strongly correlated with the OHRQoL total score (r = 0.888). Regression analysis showed that missing teeth (β = 0.879, p < .001), female gender (β = 0.141, p < .001), and denture use (β = -0.127, p < .001) were significant predictors of OHRQoL
Conclusion: The study concludes that edentulism substantially affects oral health-related quality of life among rural elderly people in Swat, with women experiencing a greater oral health burden.