The sensitivity of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index to dental care

The sensitivity of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) to dental treatment was evaluated using data from a community-based oral health promotion project. Ninety-six subjects completed baseline and twenty-four-month follow-up interviews that included the GOHAI as well as other self-reported measures of oral health. Subjects were predominantly white, female, not currently married, with less than a high school education, and had average age of seventy-six years at baseline. Through the health promotion project, participants were offered low cost diagnostic and preventive services on a sliding fee basis. At twenty-four months, subjects' records were abstracted regarding the receipt of dental hygiene, transportation, emergency, diagnostic, restorative, and prosthodontic services. Subjects were also asked about dental expenditures in the previous year and the type of dental care received, regardless of the source of care. The mean change in GOHAI scores from baseline to the twenty-four-month interview was 2.2 (std. dev. 6.6) and ranged from -15 to 30. Findings suggest that the GOHAI is sensitive to the provision of dental care, although additional research is needed to understand the impact of various dental services on the individual items of the GOHAI, as well as the overall index score. The potential applications of self-reported oral health outcome measures such as the GOHAI in dental education are discussed.