Do postponed dental visits for financial reasons reduce quality of life? Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of studies investigating the impact of postponed dental visits due to financial constraints on quality of life.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify whether these factors are associated longitudinally.

METHODS: Data were derived from waves 5 and 6 of the "Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe" (SHARE). The analysis focused on Germany (n = 7506). The widely used CASP-12 was used to quantify the quality of life. Postponed dental visits for financial reasons in the preceding 12 months (no, yes) were used as the main explanatory variable. Socioeconomic and health-related covariates were included in regression analysis.

RESULTS: Gender stratified regression analysis showed that quality of life decreased with the presence of postponed dental visits due to financial reasons in men. Furthermore, quality of life decreased with the worsening of self-rated health in both men and women. The outcome measure was not associated with age, marital status, income, and chronic diseases in both sexes.

DISCUSSION: Study findings suggest that postponing dental visits due to financial constraints contributes to a decreased quality of life among older men.

CONCLUSION: Efforts to avoid these circumstances might help to maintain the quality of life in older men.