老年人口腔健康素养、健康状况及自我效能相关性分析

Abstract: Objective To explore the correlation between oral health literacy, health status, and self-efficacy among the elderly people. Methods From February 2025 to May 2025, 600 elderly people in Baihe Town were selected as research subjects. The general information of the elderly (age, gender, education level, living situation, economic income, whether they have received oral health guidance), oral health literacy, oral health status, and oral health self-efficacy scale were statistically analyzed to observe the correlation among the three variables. Results This survey showed that among 600 elderly people, 543 (90.5%) had oral diseases, the main diseases were acute periodontitis (132 cases, 24.3%), oral mucosal ulcers (105 cases, 19.3%), and pulpitis (78 cases, 14.4%). Economic income stratification showed that the oral health literacy (21.89±3.36) points and self-efficacy (25.68±3.92) points of low-income groups (monthly average≤3 500 yuan, accounting for 30.0%) were significantly lower than those of high-income groups (monthly average＞6 000 yuan, accounting for 15.0%), and the severity of oral diseases was higher (16.12±3.78) points. Elderly people with lower oral health literacy were more susceptible to periodontal diseases such as gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. Self-efficacy was positively correlated with oral hygiene behavior and negatively correlated with the incidence of oral diseases. Conclusion For the elderly, conducting oral health education is the key to improving their oral health literacy, health status, and selfefficacy. It is necessary to increase the intensity of oral health education, help the elderly develop correct oral health habits, and reduce the probability of oral diseases.