Analysis of the influence of social support on oral health and dental treatment behavior in elderly population

CHEN Zhi-juan; HUANG Zheng-wei; CHEN Yan

doi:10.19749/j.cn.cjgd.1672-2973.2024.03.008

Abstract：Objective To investigate the effects of social emotional support and social economic support on oral health behaviors and oral health status of the elderly population,and to provide research basis for the development of prevention and treatment strategies for oral diseases in the elderly population.Methods Using the data collected from 1999-2018 NHANES database,and subjects with both social support(Social support)and oral health status(Oral health)surveys were included in the study,with an age limit of 60 years and above.Chi-square test was used to analyze the effects of social emotional support and social economic support on oral health behavior and oral health status of the elderly population.Results A total of 3694 elderly subjects who self-reported their overall oral health status were included in this study,including 48.3%males and 51.7%females,with an average age of 72.2±8.1 years.In the past three years,44.6%of the patients had routine oral examination experience,and the self-rating of the overall oral health status was"very good","good","general","poor",21.4%,39.3%,23.0%and 16.3%,respectively.The results of statistical analysis showed that emotional support from spouse and friends had significant effects on oral health behavior and overall oral health status(P＜0.05).Social and economic support had a significant effect on the oral health of the aged subjects(P＜0.01).Conclusion Social emotional support and social economic support may significantly promote the oral health behavior and oral health status of the elderly population,and should be considered when developing oral health promotion strategies for the elderly population.