Correlation Between Quality of Life and Denture Satisfaction in Elderly Complete Denture Wearers

Purpose: This study was done to clarify the correlation between the quality of life (QOL), defined as overall satisfaction with daily life, and denture satisfaction in elderly complete denture wearers. Materials and Methods: A new method for quantifying overall satisfaction with daily life (QOL) among 2,079 elderly people (age >= 65 years) was developed by evaluating the contribution of 13 factors (eating, health problems, daily exercise, fatigue, sleep quality, smooth communication, physical comfort, aging, loneliness, job and hobbies, meaningfulness, social life, and economic problems) to overall daily life satisfaction by a multiple regression analysis. Then, correlation between the QOL and denture satisfaction was analyzed by the regression model in 84 randomly selected complete denture wearers from the above population. Results: Quantification of the QOL was completed by converting category scores to integers between 0 and 100 for eight highly correlated factors (eating, smooth communication, physical comfort, loneliness, job and hobbies, meaningfulness, social life, and economic problems) to overall satisfaction with daily life (P 0.01). Significant positive correlation was found between the QOL score and denture satisfaction score (P 0.05). Conclusion: Edentulous elderly people who are well satisfied with their daily lives are also satisfied with their complete dentures.