The Impacts of Oral Health on the Overall Health Discussion

The Impacts of Oral Health on the Overall Health Discussion

Research on the oral health of older adults has expanded over the past decades with the continuous growth of this population sector worldwide [1]. While today, older adults keep their teeth longer, they suffer from poor oral health because of accumulated deficits in their oral cavity. The reason that older adults lose their teeth is not age but the burden of inadequately controlled chronic diseases and poor oral hygiene. This is compounded by the fact that they seek oral health services less frequently than does the rest of the population [1,2,3].

Methods for estimating oral health deficits in older adults have traditionally relied on oral indices and clinical indicators. However, those methods are seriously limited, primarily because they report the presence/absence of diseases separately and classify individuals according to patterns defined exclusively on the bases of their oral health deficits [4]. The purpose of using the latent class analysis (LCA) in this study was to distinguish the optimal number of classes that characterize the oral health of older adults. The LCA is an approach that classifies individuals into groups based on the patterns of individual response.

Although the aging process affects all dimensions of life, including personal wellbeing, few studies have explored the impact of oral health on the different dimensions of quality of life in older adults [5].

Subjective indicators have been employed to estimate the extent to which oral health deficits affect physical functioning and psychosocial wellbeing [6, 7]. Salient among them, the Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) has been widely used to estimate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) [8].

GOHAI is based on three suppositions: a) that oral health can be measured using self-evaluation; b) that the levels of oral health vary among people and that this variation can be demonstrated using measurement based on a person’s self-perception; and c) that self–perception has been identified as predictive of oral health. The GOHAI measures respondents’ oral functional problems in a compact questionnaire of 12 items that, in a simply administered manner, evaluate problems related to oral health in the past 3 months. It is also designed to estimate the severity of psychosocial impacts associated with oral diseases. Instrumental in assessing needs and levels of satisfaction, the GOHAI is a valuable resource for evaluating the results of oral health programs and services. The resulting evidence, in turn, provides the bases for designing effective policies for the overall or specific sectors of the population [7, 8].

Understanding the impact of poor oral health on the different dimensions of quality of life enables us to identify areas of opportunity for programs and policies seeking to improve the health status of the population. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of poor oral health on the OHRQoL in community-dwelling older adults.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

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Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource