Oral health-related quality of life and periodontal status

As patient-centered approaches become more popular, increasing attention is being given to assessing the effects of various human health situations on an individual's overall quality of life (QoL). Measures have been used in dentistry to study the effects of orthodontic treatment and oral surgery, but so far little has been reported about the effects of periodontal disease. Objective: This study assessed the impact of periodontal health statuses on QoL. Methods: A sub-sample of 767 subjects were selected from a community study (n = 1,000) which investigated the association between psychological factors and clinical periodontal attachment level (CAL). The sample included subjects with full mouth mean CAL ≤ 2mm (healthy/low periodontal attachment loss group), and subjects with full mouth mean CAL > 3mm (high/severe periodontal attachment loss group). The subjects were requested to complete the Chinese short-form version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14S) and a checklist of self-reported periodontal symptoms during the previous 12 months. Results: 727 subjects (95%) completed the questionnaire. The OHIP-14S and subscales scores were significantly associated with 6/7 of the self-reported periodontal symptoms. A comparison of the mean OHIP-14S scores of the healthy/low and the high/severe periodontal attachment loss groups revealed significant differences in respect of the subscales of functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical and psychological disabilities. Conclusion: There exists a significant association between negative oral health-related QoL with periodontal disease. The study also discusses the importance of using patient-centered outcome measures in the management of periodontitis patients.