multimorbidity and polypharmacy in older adults, and their impact on oral health-related quality of life

Background: the term oral health-related quality of life (ohrqol) was used since the early 1980s. this research examines the relationship between multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and oral health-related quality of life (ohrqol) among older adults.methods: this cross-sectional research was conducted among older adults ( ≥ 60) living in amirkola, northern iran. demographic characteristics, the number of drugs consumed, and the presence of comorbid disorders were collected through direct interviews. consuming five or more drugs was defined as polypharmacy, and the simultaneous presence of three or more chronic diseases was recorded as multimorbidity. dental specialists examined the older adults, and the geriatric oral health assessment index (gohai) was used to assess the ohrqol.results: a total of 800 older adults, including 433 (54.1%) men and 367 (45.9%) women, with a mean age of 69.30 ± 7.03 years, were included. the mean number of comorbidities was 3.74 ± 2.27, and the mean number of consumed drugs was 3.74 ± 3.09. the average ohrqol score was 51.36 ± 7.25. multivariable regression analysis revealed that the effect of multimorbidity on ohrqol was significant (adjusted or = 1.803; 95% ci = 1.239-2.622; p = 0.002). however, polypharmacy had no such significant effect (adjusted or = 1.016; 0.697-1.482, p = 0.934).conclusion: considering that 66.1% of older adults had multimorbidity, which significantly impacted oral health-related quality of life, health service providers must pay attention to maintaining and improving the oral health of older people.