The determinants of oral health in Turkish elderly: an analysis of Turkey Health Survey (THS) 2022

Abstract Background Oral health is an integral part of health and wellbeing; however, the use of dental care by the elderly is lower compared to other services. Considering the relationship between oral health and chronic diseases, along with healthcare use patterns, evaluating oral health in the elderly is crucial. This study aims to assess the oral health status and individual, socioeconomic and healthcare related factors in people aged 65 and over in Turkey. Methods This cross-sectional study was based on THS 2022 micro dataset. Participants aged 65 and over constituted the population of this study, with 3144 participants included. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 28.0 and included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square and logistic regression. Results The mean age of participants was 72.57 with 54% being women.Self-reported poor oral health was noted in 25.8%, and 75.2% did not receive dental care in the past year. Individual factors such as older age, obesity, and multimorbidity, as well as social factors like female gender, being single, and language barrier, were associated with worse oral health. Education and social support were also associated with oral health. Among economic factors, employment showed a significant association. Concerning healthcare-related factors, not using oral care in the past year, unmet dental care needs due to financial constraints, appointments, and transportation were associated with worse oral health. Logistic regression revealed significant associations between oral health and age, multimorbidity, gender, language, education, social support, employment, dental care use, unmet dental care needs due to financial constraints and transportation. Conclusions Addressing barriers and risk factors is needed to improve oral health among Turkey’s elderly. Efforts should focus on enhancing access to dental care and addressing socioeconomic determinants of oral health. Key messages • Identifying and addressing barriers and individual, socioeconomic and health-care related risk factors associated with poor oral health among the elderly in Turkey is important. • It is needed to prioritize efforts aimed at enhancing access to oral care for the elderly in Turkey by both improving physical access and addressing social determinants to ensure better oral health.