Oral health and public speaking attitudes after dental implant treatment in septuagenarians: a comparative study.

Background: Dental implant treatment is increasingly used in older adults to restore oral function and psychosocial well-being. However, its relationship with oral health attitudes and public speaking attitudes remains unclear, particularly in adults aged ≥70 years. This study examined these associations in implant-treated adults aged ≥60 years, with a focus on septuagenarians. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 277 implant-treated adults aged ≥60 years from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Inonu University Faculty of Dentistry, including 85 aged ≥70 years and 192 aged 60-69 years. Participants completed the Oral Health Attitude Scale, the Turkish Public Speaking Attitude Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Nonparametric tests, Spearman correlation, and multivariate linear regression were used for analysis. Results: Oral health attitudes showed significant positive correlations with public speaking enjoyment and perceived importance, and a negative correlation with speech anxiety. These associations were stronger in the septuagenarian subgroup. In the total sample, prior removable denture use, implant opinion, psychiatric medication use, and education level independently predicted oral health attitudes. Public speaking enjoyment was negatively associated with prior denture use and psychiatric medication use in the total sample, whereas positive implant opinion and male gender were significant correlates in septuagenarians. Regression models for speech anxiety were not significant. Conclusion: Positive oral health attitudes were associated with greater public speaking confidence in implant-treated older adults, particularly in those aged ≥70 years. Prior denture use and psychiatric medication use were negatively associated factors, whereas positive implant opinion was independently associated with higher public speaking enjoyment scores in septuagenarians.