Oral Health-related QoL and Oral Hygiene in Maxillofacial Prosthetic Patients

Objectives: Patients with maxillofacial surgery need maxillofacial prostheses for functional and aesthetic recovery. It often requires several months to adapt maxillofacial prostheses, resulting in the change of their oral condition and quality of life (QoL). In our practice, we work on oral hygiene instruction and oral care during maxillofacial prosthetic treatment. Some patients showed better their oral hygiene condition as they adapted their maxillofacial prostheses better. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between oral health-related QoL (OHRQoL) and oral hygiene condition, including the factors affecting these changes.
Methods: In 25 patients with maxillofacial prostheses, age, gender, the number of residual teeth and occlusal supports, and occlusal units (OUs) were investigated. OHRQoL was evaluated by using Japanese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-J), oral hygiene condition was calculated by O’Leary’s Plaque Control Record (PCR). Statistical analyses were performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.
Results: The scores of OHIP-J and PCR were improved statistically after our intervention (Wilcoxon signed rank test, P < 0.0001). Statistically significant correlations were found out between OHIP-J scores and age, and OUs. In female, there were significant correlations of OHIP-J score with the number of residual teeth and occlusal supports, and OUs. No significant correlations were found between PCR scores and any factor. Besides, there was no significant correlation between OHIP-J scores and PCR scores.
Conclusions: The present study reveals that maxillofacial prosthetic treatment can improve patients’ OHRQoL, and “age,” “OUs,” and “gender” can be the significant factors. Oral hygiene instruction and oral care can improve their oral hygiene condition, regardless of their age, gender, and their condition of teeth or maxillofacial prostheses.