Abstract
We conducted a quantitative and descriptive study of menopausal women using an original questionnaire composed of items based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model to clarify factors associated with oral health and health behavior in menopausal women.
We found that oral health and quality of life (QOL) started to improve in women from around the late 50s instead of declining with age. Oral health and QOL were associated with oral health behavior through the association between "realization factors" and "oral health" regarding "oral heath behavior (methods)", and through the association between "realization factors" and "preparatory factors" regarding "oral health behavior (frequency)".
Encouraging oral health behavior from early menopause when women become aware of oral health problems and reduced QOL could lead to maintenance of oral health and improvement of QOL in these women. To achieve this, healthcare professionals such as dental hygienists and nurses need to be able to provide information on oral health, i.e., "preparatory factors", and awareness needs to be raised of periodontal disease screening offered by municipalities for free or at a low cost, i.e., "realization factors". Support that links oral health behavior to actual oral health is therefore needed.
