What do older adults' global self-ratings of oral health measure?

Objective: Although global self-ratings of oral health are widely used in oral health research, the frames of reference on which older people's ratings are based are not known. This study used a quantitative approach in order to identify these referents.

Methods: Data were collected from 498 dentate subjects aged 53 years and over who took part in the second stage of a three-phase longitudinal epidemiological and sociodental study.