Examining the associations between oral health and social isolation

A cross-national comparative study between Japan and England

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4855656
AutoresShihoko Koyama (0000-0002-7786-4910, Osaka International Cancer Institute, autor de correspondencia), Motoko Saito (0000-0002-3997-3884, Nihon Fukushi University), Masashige Saito, Noriko Cable (0000-0001-5478-1760, University College London), Toshiko Ikeda (0000-0003-4325-4492, Tohoku University), Teruyuki Tsuji (0000-0002-8408-6619, Otsuka (Japan)), Taishi Tsuji, Tohru Noguchi (0000-0001-9165-5501, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology), Taiji Noguchi, Hazem Abbas (0000-0003-1529-290X, Tohoku University), Isao Miyashiro (0000-0002-2575-4971, Osaka International Cancer Institute), Ken’ichi Osaka (0000-0001-6885-9514, Tohoku University), Ken Osaka, Kyoichi Kondo (0000-0003-0076-816X, Chiba University), Ronald G Watts (0000-0001-6229-8584, University College London), Richard G Watts, Richard G Watt, Jun Aida (0000-0002-8405-9872, Tohoku University)
Año2021
Volumen277
Páginas113895
Fecha de publicación2021-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial Science & Medicine (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0277-9536 • E-ISSN: 1873-5347
EditorialElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113895
PMID33882441
OpenAlexW3156495403
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas33

In Western countries, the most important part of the face in communication is the mouth, whereas it is the eyes in Asian countries; thus oral health could be more important in social interactions in Western countries. Our aim was to examine differences in the association between oral health status and social isolation among older people by comparing Japan and England. We used cross-sectional information obtained from adults aged 65+ in two ongoing prospective cohort studies: The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES, N = 120,195) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, N = 3,958). The dependent variable, social isolation score (SIS) was calculated from five factors (marital status, social support from children, social support from family, social support from friends, and social participation). The independent variables were self-reported number of remaining teeth (0, 1-9, 10-19, ≥20) and denture use (≥20 teeth, 10-19 teeth with denture, 10-19 teeth without denture, 0-9 teeth with denture, 0-9 teeth without denture), while the covariates in the model were: sex, age, educational attainment, self-rated health, number of comorbidities, household annual equivalized income, mental health status, daily living activities, and smoking status. We examined associations between oral health status and SIS by applying an ordered logit model by country. Compared to England, more Japanese participants were socially isolated (1.4% vs. 5.8%), but fewer were edentulous (13.1% vs. 7.7%). In both countries, poorer oral health further increased the odds of being socially isolated. Pooled analysis of the ordered logit model with an interaction term showed that the association of number of remaining teeth with SIS was stronger in edentulous participants and in England (odds ratio = 1.50, 95% Confidence interval:1.26-1.80). In both countries, oral health was associated with social isolation; this association could be stronger in England than in Japan

Cohort study · Cross-sectional study · Environmental health · Logistic regression · Longitudinal study · Marital status · Odds · Odds ratio · Ordered logit · Population · Psychiatry · Social deprivation · Social isolation · Social support · Sociology · Demography · Dental Health and Care Utilization · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology