ORAL HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER CONSERVATIVE PERIODONTAL THERAPY

Abstract

The patient’s perception regarding the quality of life in relation to oral health is an important aspect for the success of treatment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the oral health related quality of life before and after conservative periodontal therapy.

Methods: This prospective study enrolled all patients who attended a private practice in Tirgu Mures, between 1 September 2015 and 15 October 2015. They were invited to take part in this study, 180 accepted the invitation. 112 females and 68 males, aged between 25-60 years and were randomly distributed in two groups (test group and control group) according to the following inclusion criteria: diagnosed with moderate periodontitis, a minimum of four sites with probing depth <4 mm (PD), presence of <16 teeth, no systematic periodontitis treatment within the last 12 months, smoking >10 cigarettes/day, good general health. The test group received conservative periodontal therapy consisting of oral hygiene instructions, scaling and root planing. The control group received no treatment. Using the oral health related quality of life (OHRQL) questionnaire the following factors were assessed: functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, psychical disability, psychological disability, social disability and handicap. The OHRQL model was used. Responses were recorded by using a five-point scale: 0,never; 1,hardly ever; 2, occasionally; 3,fairly often; 4,very often. After four weeks, a reevaluation was performed, and the patients from both groups completed the same questionnaire. The periodontal status was recorded at baseline and after scaling and root planing: The following parameters were assessed: bleeding on probing, probing depths (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). The presence or absence of plaque was evaluated with plaque index (O’Leary et al.1972). Gingival inflammation was assessed by the gingival index (Loe and Silness, 1963). Clinical examination of periodontal status and personal interviews for oral health related to the quality of life were conducted. The study protocol was approved by he Ethics Committee of University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu Mures, Romania. All the patients recruited for the study signed an informed consent form.

Results: At baseline, the results showed poor scores for oral health related to the quality of life in the control group (86%, 69 patients) compared with the test group 28% (18 patients). Females perceived the quality of life related to oral health to a greater extent than males (p<0.0001). The patients had a poor initial outlook on their oral health, with 58% rating their overall oral health as poor compared to others of the same age. In the control group, only 9% (8) of the patients perceived their oral health as good. Twelve percent (13) of patients indicated that general health was not a major concern. There was no significant difference between the genders for functional limitations and social well-being.

Conclusions: Conservative periodontal therapy may lead to substantially higher gains in periodontal status, and it also greatly improves the quality of the life in patients.