Impact of periodontitis on oral health-related quality of life

Objectives: To investigate the impact of chronic periodontitis on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the full version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) and the Oral Health Quality of Life-UK (OHQoL-UK) questionnaires. Methods: 89 patients with chronic periodontitis and 89 age- and gender-matched patients without chronic periodontitis were recruited. OHIP-49 and OHQoL-UK were self-completed by participants and mean scores were calculated for each item, domain and the overall summary score (additive method) for each instrument in each group. Results: The mean age of participants was 47 ± 9 years, and the periodontitis patients had, on average, 33 ± 23 sites demonstrating probing depths ≥5 mm. OHRQoL was significantly poorer in the periodontitis patients compared to the periodontally healthy patients, when assessed by either instrument. When considering OHIP-49, fourteen of the forty-nine items indicated significantly poorer OHRQoL in the periodontitis group, and the overall OHIP-49 summary score was 48.6 ± 32.0 for periodontitis patients compared to 36.8 ± 29.8 in periodontally healthy patients (p < 0.01). When considering OHQoL-UK, fifteen of the sixteen items indicated significantly poorer OHRQoL in the periodontitis group, and the overall OHQoL-UK summary score was 47.1 ± 9.7 for periodontitis patients compared to 53.1 ± 11.3 in periodontally healthy patients (p < 0.01). Overall, those items with the greatest differences between periodontitis patients and the healthy group related to psychological concerns, halitosis, pain and aesthetics. Conclusion: Subjects with periodontitis report substantial functional, physical, psychological, and social OHRQoL impacts. Clinical significance: This study has identified that patients with chronic periodontitis report significantly poorer oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) than age- and gender-matched periodontally healthy patients, with significant functional, social and psychological impacts. Clinicians should be aware of the impacts that periodontitis may have on OHRQoL, including psychological concerns, halitosis, pain and aesthetics.