Gender-related differences of oral health-related QoL in complete denture subjects

Objectives: To investigate the difference in impaired oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) between men and women with complete dentures (CD) in the general population of Germany and Hungary.

Methods: Subjects with CD were selected from a national study in Germany (N=2026, age range: 16-79 yrs) and a regional study in Hungary (N=1059, 16-90 yrs). To have an identical age range in both studies, 12 Hungarian subjects were excluded leaving 1047 Hungarian subjects. Of the two populations, there were 96 German and 93 Hungarian CD subjects.

To investigate whether being a CD subject was related to gender, a logistic regression model adjusting for the effects of age and country was applied.

To investigate gender-related OHRQoL differences, the German or Hungarian 49-item Oral Health Impact Profiles (OHIP) were used. Score differences were investigated by applying a linear regression model on gender, country, and two age groups as well as possible gender-country and gender-age group interactions.

Results: In both countries women were more likely to be CD wearers than men (odds ratio: 1.4; 95%CI: 1.0-1.9; P=0.04 adjusted for age group and country). No evidence was found that the gender effect was different in age groups or by country (P=0.99).

Gender, age, and country affected OHRQoL with younger German women with CD having the worst (40.4+37.6 OHIP units) and older Hungarian men with CD having the best OHRQoL (9.0+9.5 OHIP units). A multivariable linear regression model confirmed that country modified the OHRQoL gender difference (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Prevalence of CD is influenced by gender, country, and age, but the difference between genders was similar in the two countries and in two age groups. However, OHRQoL in CD wearers was influenced complexly by gender, country, and age indicating there were cultural influences on OHRQoL gender difference.