Abstract:
A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the nutritional status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of older people with dentures, identify factors influencing their nutritional status, and examine the relationship between nutritional status and OHRQoL. The sample consisted of 224 older adults with complete dentures in Fang District, Chiang Mai Province. The research tools included an interviewer-administered questionnaire, the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, and the Kruskal-Wallis test, with statistical significance set at 0.05. The results showed that 50.9% of participants had normal nutritional status, 41.5% were at high risk of malnutrition, and 7.6% were malnourished. The older adults had a mean OHIP-14 score of 5.31 ± 7.90 out of a possible 56. Factors influencing nutritional status included marital status (p-value = 0.023), monthly income (p-value = 0.007), income sufficiency and spending (p-value = 0.024), smoking (p-value = 0.049), underlying diseases (p-value = 0.002), masticatory ability (p-value = 0.006), and xerostomia (p-value < 0.001). There was a significant association between nutritional status and OHRQoL (p-value < 0.001). In conclusion, nutritional status was related to OHRQoL. Therefore, assessing nutritional status and OHRQoL can guide food consumption counseling to reduce the risk of malnutrition due to eating difficulties and improper chewing, as well as address post-insertion problems in complete dentures. This approach can help reduce physical health issues and improve the quality of life for the elderly. Keywords: Nutritional Status, Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, Elderly with Dentur