OHRQoL in Patients with Implant and Removable Partial Dentures

Objectives: This study investigated the association between denture status (implant dentures; ID, removable partial dentures; RPD) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Methods: Subjects with ID and RPD were recruited at the Prosthodontic clinic at Showa University and Tokyo Medical and Dental University and a private clinic. In total 96 ID subjects with a mean age of 52.7±12.0 years old (44.8% men) and 105 RPD subjects with a mean age of 66.6±8.2 years old (37.1% men) participated in this study after giving informed consent. In order to evaluate OHRQoL, the Japanese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) was administered to each subject. For each OHIP question, the subjects were asked to indicate the frequency with which they had experienced the impact in the last month. The responses were recorded on a rating scale (0, never - 4, very often) and the OHIP summary score was calculated. Regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between the denture status and the OHIP summary score. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of Showa University. Results: The averaged number of the missing teeth for the ID group (3.3±2.7) was significantly lower than that for the RPD group (8.2±5.0, p<0.05). The averaged OHIP score for IPD group (18.6±17.4) was significantly lower than that for the RPD group (38.4±22.1, p<0.05) and this association was independent upon the effect of the missing tooth number. Furthermore the 7 subscales of OHIP (Functional limitation, Physical pain, Psychological discomfort, Physical disability, Psychological disability, Social disability, Handicap) were consistently and significantly lower in the IPD group than those in the RPD group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Oral health-related quality of life in patients with implant supported dentures is generally less impaired than that in RPD patients.