Impact of Periodontal Disease Experience on Oral Health�Related Quality of Life

• Autores: Henrik Jansson, Veronica Johansson, Nina Lundegren
• Localización: Journal of periodontology, ISSN 0022-3492, Nº. 3, 2014, págs. 438-445
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Background: Periodontal research has traditionally focused on the site level, regarding etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment outcome. Recently, some studies have indicated that the presence of periodontal disease is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of periodontal disease experience on the quality of life.

    Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 443 individuals. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed; in conjunction, the oral health�related quality of life of all participants was assessed using the Swedish short-form version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Based on marginal bone loss, measured on radiographs, three different groups were identified: participants with loss of supporting bone tissue of less than one third of the root length (BL-), loss of supporting bone tissue of one third or more of the root length in <30% of teeth (BL), or loss of supporting bone tissue of one third or more of the root length in ?30% of teeth (BL+).

    Results: The effect of periodontal disease experience on quality of life was considerable. For the BL- group, the mean OHIP-14 score was 3.91 (SD: 5.39). The corresponding mean values were 3.81 (SD: 5.29) for the BL group and 8.47 (SD: 10.38) for the BL+ group. The difference among all groups was statistically significant (P ?0.001). A comparison among the mean OHIP-14 scores in the different groups (BL-, BL, and BL+) revealed significant differences in six of seven conceptual domains.

    Conclusions: The BL+ individuals experienced reduced quality of life, expressed as the OHIP-14 score, compared with the BL and BL- participants.

    Periodontitis is a result of an imbalance between the oral biofilm in the dento-gingival area and the host response. This imbalance results in a loss of supporting periodontal ligaments and alveolar bone.1,2 Improved oral health in the adult population in Sweden has resulted in fewer edentulous individuals and concomitantly more individuals with more remaining teeth.3 However, despite these improvements, ?10% of the adult population suffers from severe periodontal disease.4,5 Numerous clinical studies have focused on management of the disease in terms of etiology, pathogenesis, efficacy, and outcome of different treatment options. Focus has been on clinical variables such as probing depth (PD) and attachment level, and most studies have used a site perspective rather than an individual perspective. Periodontal disease will, as a result of inflammation and tissue breakdown, produce a wide range of clinical signs and symptoms. These will probably have an impact on the quality of life.6 However, few reports reveal the patients� perception of oral health and its influence and contribution to quality of life and overall well-being.7 This has led to the development of a number of instruments that aim to measure oral health outcomes, in terms of the impact of changes in oral health on quality of life in population-based studies.

    There are different instruments to measure oral health�related quality of life. One of the most widely used is the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP).7 The original, long-form instrument measures how oral health affects individuals� quality of life using 49 questions. The short form, consisting of 14 questions (OHIP-14), has emerged as a powerful tool in the assessment of oral health�related quality of life.8 Due to its practicality, it has frequently been used in a variety of hospital settings and for a range of dental conditions.9,10 Studies have reported the impact of chronic periodontitis on physical comfort or other domains that affect quality of life.11-13 There is a lack of large population studies, especially from the Scandinavian countries.

    The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of periodontal disease experience on quality of life in a population in the south of Sweden, using the Swedish version of the OHIP-14 questionnaire.