Objectives: This study evaluates the association between normative and subjective oral health measures and poor self-reported sleep quality among community-dwelling older adults in Brazil.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging. The dependent variable was the poor sleep quality. Independent variables of interest included number of teeth and self-reported impact of oral health on eating/chewing and on maintaining emotional stability.
Results: Poor sleep quality was reported by 17.8 (95% CI 16.6; 19.2) of the participants, 29% of the participants were edentulous, and 30% had 20 or more teeth. Impacts of oral health on eating and maintaining emotional stability was found among 33.3% and 20% of the older adults, respectively. After adjusting for all oral health measures and covariates, the magnitude of the associations between the number of teeth and sleep quality was attenuated. Sleep quality was related to oral health impacts on eating (OR 1.19 [95% CI 1.00; 1.41]) and on emotional stability (OR 1.51 [95% CI 1.21; 1.87]).
Conclusions: This study found an association between oral health and sleep quality emphasizing the importance of oral health to general health.
Keywords: cross-sectional studies; edentulous; epidemiology; oral health; sleep; tooth loss.
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