The present study investigated the prevalence
of poor self-perceived oral health and its association
with oral health, general health and socioeconomic
factors among elderly individuals
from São Paulo, Brazil. The sample consisted of
871 elderly individuals enrolled in the Health,
Wellbeing and Aging cohort study. Self-perceived
oral health was measured by the question: “How
would you rate your oral health?”. Most subjects
self-rated their oral health as good. Among dentate
individuals, poor oral health was related to
depression, poor self-rated health, dental treatment,
dental checkups and the psychosocial subscale
scores of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment
Index. Edentulous individuals were more
likely to report poor oral health, whereas those
with higher psychosocial scores were less likely to
report poor self-rated oral health. Poor self-rated
oral health is associated with general health factors
and the psychosocial impact of oral health
on quality of life, regardless of socioeconomic and
clinical health measures.