Quality of Life and Oral Health among Older People in Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review

Objectives to determine the relationship between oral health and quality of life with different assessments among older adults in Southeast countries and explore the facilitators and barriers to oral health accessibility. Materials and Methods Using the key terms "oral health," "quality of life," and "older people" in Southeast Asia. The online literature search was carried out from four electronic databases: CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the University of Southampton library services. Results The qualified articles were chosen, scrutinized, and summarized with critical quality assessment. As a result, from 1,061 search results, 24 original articles were selected from eight ASEAN nations—Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) were the two oral health-related quality of life (OHrQoL) indices that were mostly used in these eligible publications. Based on the outcomes, they showed that oral health behaviors, socioeconomic status, dental health status (e.g., quality of prostheses, number of remaining functional teeth), and health perceptions were associated with the quality of life of older persons. Additionally, financial limitations, inadequate dental staff, treatment standards, and insufficient integration between oral and general health were the barriers to oral health accessibility. Conclusions Oral health-related quality-of-life assessments could be combined with general health assessments in both community dwellings and institutionalized older adults to solve oral health issues and increase well-being in later life.