Extended Abstract
1. Objectives
In recent years, there has been a rapid growth of the elderly population in Iran. According to 2016 national census, with 9.3% of Iranian people aged ≥60 years, Iranian population has become older [1]. Oral health of the elderly is a major public health issue calling for more attention worldwide. With the increase in the elderly population, the prevalence of oral and dental problems increases [2]. The factors associated with oral health vary because of socioeconomic and cultural differences among the elderly in different societies [3]. Several studies in Iran investigated the oral health status of elderly and its relationship with their quality of life and knowledge. However, information is scarce about the relationship between their oral health and demographic characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the association between these 2 variables among retired elderly people in Iran.

2. Methods and Materials
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 158 retired elderlies under the support of Retirement Organization of Tehran Municipality. The subjects were randomly selected based on their pension code. Inclusion criteria were ≥60 years of age, willingness to participate in the study, the ability to answer the questions and communicate, and being retired from Tehran Municipality. Returning incomplete questionnaires and post-sampling mortality were the exclusion criteria. The data collection tool was a 2-part questionnaire. 
The first part surveyed sociodemographic and medical profile of the samples. The second part was the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), designed by Atchison and Dolan [4]. In many studies, the validity and reliability of this tool have been validated, and has been used as an instrument for assessing the oral health in elderly [5, 6]. The validity and reliability of its Persian version has been examined by Rezaei and colleagues [7]. It has 12 items scored based on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1=never; 2=seldom; 3=sometimes; 4=often; 5=always). Its total score ranges from 12 to 60. A higher score indicates better oral health, and vice versa. Questionnaires were completed by the researcher using face-to-face interviewing. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (code: IR.USWR.REC.1395.48).

3. Results
Of 158 samples, 90 (57%) were male and 68 (43%) female. Their Mean±SD age was 68.78±5.45 years. In terms of education, 27 (17.1%) were illiterate, 52 (32.9%) had primary school education, 37 (23.4%) middle school level of education, 26 (16.5%) high school level of education, 8 (5.1%) had associate degree, and 8 (5.1%) had bachelor degree or higher. In terms of oral health behaviors, 29 (18.4%) washed their mouths once a day, 47 (29.7%) twice a day, 56 (35.4%) 3 times a day, 18 (11.4%) more than 3 times a day, and 8 (5.1%) reported that they did not wash their mouths and teeth.
The mean oral health score of samples was 37.44 indicating their moderate level of oral health. There was a negative and significant correlation between the subjects’ oral health and age (P=0.04). This finding indicates that those with higher ages, had worse oral health and vice versa. Moreover, the results suggest that those with higher education level have better oral health. Those with primary education had poor oral health, compared to those with the higher levels of education. According to t-test results, oral health status between men and women was different and elder men had better oral health status. The mean oral health score in men was 38.5, and in elder women it was 36.4 (Table 1).

4. Conclusion
The oral health of elderly people had a significant and negative relationship with their age. With the increase in age, factors such as physical limitations and reduced social relations, make elderly people pay less attention to their oral health. This could contribute to the worsening of oral health status in elderly people. Oral health in elderly men was better than that in elderly women. Throughout their lives, women face severe bio-psychological conditions like fertility and multiple births which greatly impact their oral and dental health. Oral and dental health are important in improving the quality of life in the elderly. Therefore, in designing interventions to promote their oral health, authorities should pay attention to the elderlies’ demographic characteristics.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (code: IR.USWR.REC.1395.48)

 

 

Funding
The present paper was extracted from the MSc. thesis of the first author in Department of Ageing, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Authors contributions
All authors contributed in preparing this article.

Conflict of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Deputy of Research and Technology, department of Gerontology at University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Retirement Organization of Tehran Municipality for their valuable cooperation.


 

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