Periodontitis and Quality of Life Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Objectives: Recent reports indicate that approximately 20% of the UAE population suffer from Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Periodontal disease is a significant complication among T2DM that could affect patients’ quality of life. The objective of this study was to assess the association between periodontal disease and oral health-related quality of life among Arab T2DM patients.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 108 T2DM Arab patients were recruited, with an average diabetes duration of 11.2 years (SD: 8.5). The Oral Health Impact Profile short form (OHIP-14) was self-completed by all participants. The OHIP-14 measures quality of life using 14 items to capture measures of seven dimensions: functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability, psychological disability, social disability, and handicap. Participants’ periodontal condition was assessed using clinical attachment loss (CAL) for which patients were identified according to mean CAL < 3mm or CAL > 3mm.
Results: Fifty-six males (mean age 53.9 (SD: 15.8)) and 52 females (mean age 53.5 (SD: 16.6)) were recruited in this study. Sixty-four participants (59%) had CAL < 3mm and 44 participants (41%) had CAL ≥ 3mm. Those with CAL ≥ 3mm perceived the impact of their oral health on their quality of life as significantly poorer than those who were identified with CAL< 3mm in all seven domains of the OHIP-14 (p <0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that diabetic patients with CAL ≥ 3mm had significantly higher total OHIP-14 scores indicating poorer overall OHRQL compared to those with CAL < 3 mm, adjusted for age, gender, duration of diabetes and level of education (B=8.8; 95% CI:4.5, 13.2 ; p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Findings of this study support an adverse effect of periodontal condition of T2DM patients on their OHRQoL. Initiatives tailored to improve quality of life of diabetic patients should take into account the importance of oral health