Abstract
Aim: The prevalence of obesity and weight loss surgery has steadily increased during the last decade. Therefore the objective was to examine how individuals treated for obesity with Gastric Bypass (GBP) surgery perceived their oral health a nd o ral h ealth r elated q uality o f l ife ( OHRQoL).
Methods: All individuals in one Swedish region (one-sixth of the Swedish population) who had undergone GBP surgery in 2011 (n=1184) were sent a postal questionnaire two years after surgery. The questionnaire comprised items on socio- demographics, oral health symptoms and the Oral Health Impact Profile-49 (OHIP-49), an instrument with 49 questions about OHRQoL. The statistical analysis comprised descriptive methods (including mean values and SD) and analytical methods (Chi-squared tests and logistic regression models). The Regional ethics review board in Gothenburg approved the study and written consent was obtained from all participants.
Results: The response rate was 55% (n=653). The mean age (47.6 years, SD 12.0) was somewhat higher than in the total sample of GBP-patients (44.3 years, SD 11.8) while the gender distribution was similar . Twenty-six percent (n=165) experienced more oral health problems after surgery than before. Nine out of ten reported at least one oral impact experienced sometimes, fairly or very often according to the OHIP-49. The most frequent problem was tooth hypersensitivity (28%). Respondents with tooth hypersensitivity had 4.9 (95% CI 2.6- 9.4) times higher odds to report an oral impact experienced ‘sometimes/fairly often/very often’ compared with those without hypersensitivity, even after adjusting for age and sex.
Conclusion: In the population studied, a large proportion of individuals treated with GBP surgery reported problems with their oral health and impacts on their oral health related quality of life.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.