Impact of periodontal status on Oral Health Related Quality Of Life (OHRQOL) among patients attending the periodontology clinic of a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: Oral diseases including periodontal diseases negatively influence oral health- related the quality of life (OHRQoL) of  individuals. It can impact the functional, social and psychological well-being of an individual. Hence, the growing interest in oralhealth outcomes and its impact on QoL. Objectives: To assess the impact of periodontal disease variables on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among patients attending the Periodontology clinic of the dental center of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital(LASUTH). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 patients referred to the periodontology clinic of the dental center of LASUTH. Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was used to measure OHRQoL. Periodontal disease status was assessed  using community periodontal index (CPI) and loss of attachment. Oral hygiene status was evaluated using the Simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Results: The prevalence of negative impact of periodontal disease on quality of life was 40.0%. The mean Oral Health Impact Profile 14 score was 13.91 ± 8.33; the highest mean was recorded in the domain of physical pain (3.62 ± 1.91). Female gender (p=0.004), low educational status (p=0.031), periodontitis (p= 0.042) and poor oral hygiene status (p=0.049), produced statistically significant negativeimpact on the quality of life. Conclusion: This study concluded that periodontal disease can affect the quality of life especially in patients with periodontitis. Dentists and other dental health professionals are therefore advised to encourage their patients to visit their dentists regularly to ensure early diagnosis of periodontal disease to reduce its severity. Keywords: Impact, oral health, Oral Health Impact Profile 14, oral health-related quality of life, quality of lif