Impact of oral disease on quality of life in the US and Australian populations

Association between dental pain and tooth loss with health-related quality of life: the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey: A population-based cohort study

Dental pain and tooth loss are global public health concerns. However, there have been no large cross-sectional epidemiologic studies of a representative sample of an entire country's populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between dental pain and tooth loss with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using a well characterized, nationally representative, population-based study.This study analyzed data of 3924, representing 21,836,566 adults from the 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Subjects were divided into 4 groups as follows: tooth loss of up to 8 teeth without dental pain, tooth loss of up to 8 teeth with dental pain, tooth loss of 8 to 28 teeth without dental pain, and tooth loss of 8 to 28 teeth with dental pain. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), controlling for a range of covariates.Among the 3924 subjects, representing an estimated 21,836,566 adults, the prevalence of tooth loss of 8 to 28 teeth was 24.6% and the prevalence of dental pain was 35%. The tooth loss of 8 to 28 teeth with dental pain group showed the highest level of impaired HRQOL in all 5 dimensions, and the tooth loss up to 8 teeth without dental pain group showed the lowest level. The proportion of both groups without dental pain decreased significantly from the younger age to older age group. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, the ORs (95% CI) of mobility, self-case, usual activity, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression were 1.93 (1.32-2.84), 1.90 (1.25-2.90), 1.46 (0.88-2.43), 1.48 (0.88-2.49), and 1.46 (0.85-2.51) in tooth loss of 8 to 28 teeth with dental pain group. Although the ORs of tooth loss of 8 to 28 teeth without dental pain group did not significantly increase.Dental pain and tooth loss has a considerable impact of HRQOL in the Korean adult population. In our study, HRQOL is more closely associated with dental pain than with tooth loss.

Oral-health-related quality of life of dental patients: a hospital based study in far north Queensland, Australia

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence, extent, and severity of oral-health-related quality of life among dental patients in far north Queensland, Australia.

METHODS

A questionnaire was designed consisting of two parts: socio-demographic questions and the short form of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) in part 1 and 2 respectively. The survey was conducted from July to August 2014 among patients attending the James Cook University Dental Clinic.

RESULTS

Five hundred and nineteen questionnaires were distributed and collected. Of these, 40 were excluded from the analysis due to being incomplete. Therefore, a total of 479 questionnaires were available for the analysis. Half the respondents (50.9%) reported one or more of the 14 impacts as "fairly often" or "very often." The individual OHIP items with the highest prevalence recorded were physical pain and psychological discomfort. Females (52.2%) experienced a slightly higher prevalence compared to males (49.3%) but this difference was not statistically significant (Chi-square test: P > 0.05). Participants who identified as Indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Islanders and those in the 36-50 age group recorded the highest prevalence (Kruskal-Wallis test: P < 0.05). Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders also reported the highest mean extent score (4.39) and mean severity score (23.19).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed comparatively higher prevalence, extent, and severity scores reflecting a significantly poor oral-health-related quality of life among dental patients living in far north Queensland, Australia.

Ultra-short version of the oral health impact profile in elderly Chileans

AIM

The aim of the present study was to develop and validate an ultra-short Spanish version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in an elderly Chilean population.

METHODS

The OHIP-49Sp was applied to 490 older adults, and the seven questions with the higher impact on oral health-related quality of life were selected through linear regression. These items were applied to 85 older adults to test internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). A discriminative validity analysis was carried out along with the assessment of sociodemographic and clinical variables. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, Student's t-test and one-way anova tests with a 95% confidence level.

RESULTS

High internal consistency values were obtained for the OHIP-7Sp instrument (0.93). There was an association between the OHIP-7Sp scores and the presence of caries, need for complex periodontal treatment, prosthetic needs, and age younger than 70 years.

CONCLUSION

The OHIP-7Sp proved to be a consistent and valid tool to assess oral health-related quality of life in Chilean older adults, and can be incorporated in epidemiological studies that include several other targets. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 277-285.

Clinical and sociodemographic predictors of oral pain and eating problems among adult and senior Spaniards in the national survey performed in 2010

BACKGROUND

Pain and chewing difficulties have been identified as the strongest predictors of oral disadvantage. The aim of this study is to analyze and quantify the sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical factors modulating the oral pain and eating difficulties reported by Spanish adults and elderly Spanish people in the last National Oral Health Survey performed in 2010.

STUDY DESIGN

Data concerning pain and chewing difficulties were acquired on a Likert‑scale format from a representative sample of the Spanish general population with ages between 35-44 years (n=391) and 65‑74 years (n=405). Risk factors were identified using bivariate analysis, after which the crude association between risk factors (sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical) and outcome variables (pain and eating problems) was assessed by adjusted odds ratios, calculated by means of multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Eating problems and oral pain were mainly associated with prosthetic and caries treatment needs as clinical predictors, but female sex was also seen to be a relevant and significant risk factor for suffering pain and eating restrictions. Paradoxically, after taking into account all the aforementioned predictors, the adults had an almost two‑fold higher risk of reporting pain or eating difficulties than the elderly subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

In agreement with the results from the last national oral health survey, prosthetic and caries treatment needs should be considered key factors in determining the oral well‑being of the Spanish population. In sociodemographic terms, the women and adults were seen to be at a significantly higher risk of suffering pain and eating restrictions.

How valid are the psychometric properties of the oral health impact profile-14 measure in adult dental patients in Ibadan, Nigeria?

Background

The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is the most widely used quality of life (QoL) measure to evaluate the influence of oral diseases on individuals. QoL measures have been noted to be context and environment specific, and there is a need to cross-culturally adapt a scale before its introduction into any community. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties, validity and internal consistency of the OHIP-14 measure in an adult patient population in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted over a four-month period on 204 adult patients using OHIP-14 structured questionnaire, global self-report indicator of oral conditions and perceived treatment need. Oral examinations were performed to assess periodontal status, caries experience and attachment loss. Data were analyzed using SPSS and p-value for statistical significance was set at < 0.05.

Results

A total of 204 patients participated in the study with a mean OHIP score of 11.2 (± 9.8). OHIP scores were not related to the sociodemographic characteristics. Perception of need for treatment was greater among those who reported impacts on their QoL (89.3% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.001). The OHIP scores correlated negatively with global self rating of oral health status (rho = −0.23, p < 0.01). Higher OHIP scores were associated with having carious teeth (p = 0.023). The Cronbach's alpha for the 14 inventory items ranged from 0.857 to 0.871.

Conclusion

The OHIP-14 measure showed good psychometric properties with satisfactory validity and internal consistency in adult patients in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Quality of life in patients with oral potentially malignant disorders: a systematic review

There is a paucity of literature on quality of life (QoL) in patients with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) despite these conditions being relatively common, chronic, and potentially debilitating. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature on QoL in patients with OPMDs. A search from electronic databases PUBMED, MEDLINE, and CINAHL Plus retrieved 180 titles after removing duplicates, and a further 4 papers were identified by hand searching. Study of the abstracts identified 25 truly relevant articles, which were studied in full. Of these, 14 met our strict inclusion criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional; most were from Europe and have evaluated QoL in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). The findings differ but, overall, do not provide evidence that patients with OPMDs have a poorer QoL compared with healthy patients. Several things may explain this apparently surprising conclusion. First, the quality of most articles was moderate or weak; second, most studies assessed QoL only in patients with OLP and cannot be generalized to all patients with OPMDs; last, direct comparisons between patients with OPMD and healthy controls were rarely included. The validity of the QoL instrument used for patients with OLP was frequently inadequate.

Access to dental care and dental ill-health of people with serious mental illness: views of nurses working in mental health settings in Australia

People with serious mental illness experience higher rates of oral and dental health problems than the wider population. Little is known about how dental health is viewed or addressed by nurses working with mental health consumers. This paper presents the views of nurses regarding the nature and severity of dental health problems of consumers with serious mental illness, and how often they provide advice on dental health. Mental health sector nurses (n = 643) completed an online survey, including questions on dental and oral health issues of people with serious mental illness. The majority of nurses considered the oral and dental conditions of people with serious mental illness to be worse than the wider community. When compared with a range of significant physical health issues (e.g. cardiovascular disease), many nurses emphasised that dental and oral problems are one of the most salient health issues facing people with serious mental illness, their level of access to dental care services is severely inadequate and they suffer significantly worse dental health outcomes as a result. This study highlights the need for reforms to increase access to dental and oral health care for mental health consumers.

Significant unmet oral health needs of homebound elderly adults

OBJECTIVES

To assess the oral health status, use of dental care, and dental needs of homebound elderly adults and to determine whether medical diagnoses or demographic factors influenced perceived oral health.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis.

SETTING

Participants' homes in New York City.

PARTICIPANTS

Homebound elderly adults (N = 125).

MEASUREMENTS

A trained dental research team conducted a comprehensive clinical examination in participants' homes and completed a dental use and needs survey and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index.

RESULTS

Participants who reported a high level of unmet oral health needs were more likely to be nonwhite, although this effect was not significant in multivariate analysis. Individual medical diagnoses and the presence of multiple comorbidities were not associated with unmet oral health needs.

CONCLUSION

The oral health status of homebound elderly adults was poor regardless of their medical diagnoses. High unmet oral health needs combined with strong desire to receive dental care suggests there is a need to improve access to dental care for this growing population. In addition to improving awareness of geriatricians and primary care providers who care for homebound individuals, the medical community must partner with the dental community to develop home-based programs for older adults.

Impact of tooth loss related to number and position on oral health quality of life among adults

Background

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of tooth loss on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adults with emphasis on the number of teeth lost and their relative position in the mouth.

Methods

The study population was a cross-sectional household probability sample of 248, representing 149,635 20–64 year-old residents in Piracicaba-SP, Brazil. OHRQoL was measured using the OHIP-14. Socioeconomic, demographic, health literacy, dental services use data and clinical variables were collected. Oral examinations were performed using WHO criteria for caries diagnosis, using the DMFT index; that is, the sum of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT). An ordinal scale for tooth loss, based on position and number of missing teeth, was the main explanatory variable. The total OHIP score was the outcome for negative binomial regression and OHIP prevalence was the outcome for logistic regression at 5% level. A hierarchical modeling approach was adopted according to conceptual model.

Results

OHIP score was 10.21 (SE 1.16) with 48.1% (n=115) reporting one or more impacts fairly/very often (OHIP prevalence). Significant prevalence rate ratios (PRRs) for OHIP severity were observed for those who had lost up to 12 teeth, including one or more anterior teeth (PRR=1.63, 95%CI 1.06–2.51), those who had lost 13–31 teeth (PRR=2.33, 95%CI 1.49–3.63), and the edentulous (PRR=2.66, 95%CI 1.55–4.57) compared with fully dentate adults. Other significant indicators included those who only sought dental care because of dental pain (PRR=1.67, 95%CI 1.11–2.51) or dental needs (PRR=1.84, 95%CI 1.24–2.71) and having untreated caries (PRR=1.57 95%CI 1.09–2.26). Tooth loss was not significantly associated with OHIP prevalence; instead using dental services due to dental pain (PR=2.43, 95%CI 1.01–5.82), having untreated caries (PR=3.96, 95%CI 1.85–8.51) and low income (PR=2.80, 95%CI 1.26–6.42) were significant risk indicators for reporting OHIP prevalence.

Conclusion

Our analyses showed OHRQoL gradients consistent with the number and position of teeth missing due to oral disease. These findings suggest that the quantity of teeth lost does not necessarily reflect the impact of tooth mortality on OHRQoL and that future studies should take this into consideration.

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic oral health disparities among US older adults: oral health quality of life and dentition

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine if older adults living in poverty and from minority racial/ethnic groups experienced disproportionately high rates of poor oral health outcomes measured by oral health quality of life (OHQOL) and number of permanent teeth.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analysis of 2,745 community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008. Oral health outcomes were assessed by questionnaire using the NHANES-Oral Health Impact Profile for OHQOL and standardized examination for dentition. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to determine the association between oral health outcomes and predictors of interest. All analyses were weighted to account for complex survey sampling methods.

RESULTS

Both poverty and minority race/ethnicity were significantly associated with poor oral health outcomes in OHQOL and number of permanent teeth. Distribution of scores for each OHQOL domain varied by minority racial/ethnic group.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral health disparities persist in older adults living in poverty and among those from minority racial/ethnic groups. The racial/ethnic variation in OHQOL domains should be further examined to develop interventions to improve the oral health of these groups.

The impacts of oral health on quality of life in working adults

This study investigated the impacts of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) on daily activities and work productivity in adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a supermarket chain in the state of São Paulo, which included 386 workers, age-range 20 - 64 years. Participants were examined for oral disease following WHO recommendations, and the oral health impact profile (OHIP) assessment was used to determine OHRQoL. Demographic, socio-economic, use of dental services, and OHRQoL data were obtained. Answers to the OHIP were dichotomized into no impact and some impact, and the relationship to OHRQoL was determined. Poisson regression with robust variance was performed using SPSS version 17.0. Dimensions with highest OHIP scores were physical pain and psychological discomfort. Sex (male: PR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.38 - 0.80), lower family income (PR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.04 - 2.12), visiting a dentist due to pain (PR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.57 - 3.43), tooth loss (PR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.09 - 2.32), and needing treatment for caries (PR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.09 - 2.32) were most likely to impact OHRQoL. Therefore, socioeconomic and demographic status and use of dental services impacted OHRQoL. These results indicate that oral health promotion strategies should be included in work environments.

Functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders and quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS

PURPOSE

This study compared the Quality of Life (QOL) according to the presence of functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders and evaluated the convergent validity between the dimensions of the WHOQOL and the OHIP-14 scores among people living with HIV.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study with patients enrolled in reference centres of a midsize Brazilian city. Interviews were conducted when the participants arrived at the centres seeking services for medical appointments and collecting medicines. The OHIP-14 was used to evaluate the functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders. QOL was assessed using the general issues and six domains of the WHOQOL-HIV BREF. The Chi square test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used for analysis.

RESULTS

The sample comprised 422 people living with HIV/AIDS (response rate: 81.2%). The prevalence of functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders was 34.0%. The prevalence of very poor/poor QOL and those who were very dissatisfied/dissatisfied with their health was higher among those with functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders. There was a negative correlation between the scores on the domains of QOL and the severity of the impact of the oral disorders (r-value ranged from -0.107 to -0.30).

CONCLUSION

Individuals with functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders were found to more frequently rate their QOL as poor/very poor, and were more often dissatisfied with health. The correlation between the scores of QOL and functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders scores was weak, indicating that they represent different constructs. The measures of functional and psychosocial impact of oral disorders should be complemented by general measures of QOL.

Associação entre impactos funcionais e psicossociais das desordens bucais e qualidade de vida entre idosos

Objetivou-se avaliar a associação entre o impacto das desordens bucais em suas dimensões física/psicossocial e a qualidade de vida entre idosos. Estudo transversal conduzido entre idosos (65-74 anos), em 2008/2009. O impacto foi avaliado através do Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP 14) e a qualidade de vida, através do Short-Form Health Survey SF 12. Foram realizadas análises descritivas, univariadas e múltiplas (regressões logísticas), com correção pelo efeito de desenho, utilizando-se o PASW(r) 18.0. Dos 800 convidados, participaram 736 idosos (TR = 92%), com a média de idade de 67,77 anos, a maioria não apresentou impacto, a partir da medida da prevalência do OHIP. A dimensão limitação funcional do OHIP foi associada ao domínio físico do SF12, independentemente de outras variáveis investigadas. Já a gravidade do OHIP, as suas dimensões de desconforto psicológico e deficiência, foram associadas ao domínio mental do SF12. Conclui-se que alguns impactos das desordens bucais estiveram associados a uma qualidade de vida insatisfatória em seus domínios físico e mental.

Self-reported racism and experience of toothache among pregnant Aboriginal Australians: the role of perceived stress, sense of control, and social support

OBJECTIVES

We hypothesized that the psychosocial factors perceived stress and sense of personal control mediated the relationship between self-reported racism and experience of toothache. We hypothesized that social support moderated this relationship.

METHODS

Data from 365 pregnant Aboriginal Australian women were used to evaluate experience of toothache, socio-demographic factors, psychosocial factors, general health, risk behaviors, and self-reported racism exposure. Hierarchical logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) for experience of toothache. Perceived stress and sense of personal control were examined as mediators of the association between self-reported racism and experience of toothache. Social support was examined as a moderator.

RESULTS

Self-reported racism persisted as a risk indicator for experience of toothache (OR 1.99, 95 percent CI 1.07-3.72) after controlling for age, level of education, and difficulty paying a $100 dental bill. The relationship between self-reported racism and experience of toothache was mediated by sense of control. The direct effect of self-reported racism on experience of toothache became only marginally significant, and the indirect effect was significant (β coefficient=0.04, bias-corrected 95 percent CI 0.004-0.105, 21.2 percent of effect mediated). Stress was insignificant as a mediator. Social support was insignificant as a moderator.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that high levels of self-reported racism were associated with experience of toothache and that sense of control, but not perceived stress, mediated the association between self-reported racism and experience of toothache among this sample of pregnant Aboriginal Australian women. Social support did not moderate the association between self-reported racism and experience of toothache.

Impact of oral health on physical and psychosocial dimensions: an analysis using structural equation modeling

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of impact of oral health conditions on physical and psychosocial dimensions among adolescents and to identify factors associated with severity of impact. The impact of oral health status was assessed by the instrument Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). The covariates were: socioeconomic status, habits and health care, use of dental services, and normative conditions of oral health. Structural equation modeling was performed, and 15.6% of adolescents reported impact in at least one dimension of the OHIP-14. The dimensions that showed the highest prevalence of impact were psychological distress (11.8%) and physical pain (6.6%). The number of teeth needing dental treatment, number of filled teeth, and CPI significantly affected severity of impact. In this adolescent population, unfavorable socioeconomic conditions were associated with reduced use of dental services, associated in turn with precarious oral health conditions and increased severity of impact.

Do health provider-patient relationships matter? Exploring dentist-patient relationships and oral health-related quality of life in older people

BACKGROUND

patient experience is now a key parameter in health care. Yet, very little is known about the possible impact of dentist-patient relationships on patient-centred outcomes including older peoples' oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

OBJECTIVE

this study assessed the relationship between OHRQoL and dentist-patient relationships related to perceived unmet dental needs; shared decision-making; time spent discussing oral health problems; respect and confidence and trust.

PARTICIPANTS

older people aged 65 years and over living in East London, U.K. in 2011.

METHODS

a cross-sectional study using stratified random sampling recruited a representative sample of older people (n = 772). PARTICIPANTS completed an oral examination and a structured questionnaire including the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) measuring OHRQoL and five dentist-patient relationship questions taken from the U.K. 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey. Multivariate Poisson regressions modelled the association between OHRQoL and dentist-patient factors adjusting for socio-demographic factors, clinical oral indicators, and dental attendance.

RESULTS

having a perceived unmet need for dental treatment (PRR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.32, 2.56) and expressing a lack of trust and confidence in one's dentist (PRR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.98) were significant predictors of poor OHRQoL among older people.

CONCLUSIONS

these findings suggest that older people with unmet dental needs and those who expressed a lack of trust and confidence in their dentist were more likely to experience poor OHRQoL reinforcing the importance of the dental patient experience in healthy ageing and well-being.

Impact of periodontal diseases on health-related quality of life of users of the brazilian unified health system

Objective. This study assessed the impact of periodontal diseases on health-related quality of life of adult users of the Brazilian Unified Health System. Study Design. A cross-sectional study was conducted on an outpatient basis. The sample included 151 adults treated in the Periodontics section at Dental Specialty Centres of Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) measured the impact of periodontal disease on quality of life. Participants were interviewed to obtain self-perception of general and oral health and socioeconomic data, and dental records were consulted to obtain periodontal status data. The values of central tendency of the OHIP-14 were compared with socioeconomic, demographic, and self-reported health predictors using nonparametric tests. The final analysis was performed using multiple linear regressions. Results. The results showed that psychological discomfort and physical disability exhibited a negative impact. The following variables can explain approximately 27% of the impact of oral health conditions on health-related quality of life in this group: periodontal disease, self-perceived oral health, and the need to use or replace dental prosthesis. Conclusion. The need for prosthetic rehabilitation and worse periodontal status are associated with health-related quality of life, which can be predicted by the self-perception of health.

The impact of frailty on oral care behavior of older people: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Frailty has been demonstrated to negatively influence dental service-use and oral self-care behavior of older people. The aim of this study was to explore how the type and level of frailty affect the dental service-use and oral self-care behavior of frail older people.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study through 51 open interviews with elders of varying frailty in the East-Netherlands, and used a thematic analysis to code transcripts, discussions and reviews of the attributes and meaning of the themes to the point of consensus among the researchers.

RESULTS

Three major themes and five sub-themes emerged from our analyses. The major themes indicate that frail elders: A) favor long-established oral hygiene routines to sustain a sense of self-worth; B) discontinue oral hygiene routines when burdened by severe health complaints, in particular chronic pain, low morale and low energy; and C) experience psychological and social barriers to oral health care when institutionalized. The subthemes associated with the discontinuation of oral care suggest that the elders accept more oral pain or discomfort because they: B1) lack belief in the results of dental visits and tooth cleaning; B2) trivialize oral health and oral care in the general context of their impaired health and old age; and B3) consciously use their sparse energy for priorities other than oral healthcare. Institutionalized elderly often discontinue oral care because of C1) disorientation and C2) inconveniencing social supports.

CONCLUSION

The level and type of frailty influences people's perspectives on oral health and related behaviors. Frail elders associate oral hygiene with self-worth, but readily abandon visits to a dentist unless they feel that a dentist can relieve specific problems. When interpreted according to the Motivational Theory of Life Span Development, discontinuation of oral care by frail elderly could be viewed as a manifestation of adaptive development. Simple measures aimed at recognizing indicators for poor oral care behavior, and providing appropriate information and support, are discussed.

Prevalence and severity of oral disease in adults with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review of observational studies

BACKGROUND

Oral disease may be increased in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and, due to associations with inflammation and malnutrition, represents a potential modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. We summarized the prevalence of oral disease in adults with CKD and explored any association between oral disease and mortality.

METHODS

We used systematic review of observational studies evaluating oral health in adults with CKD identified in MEDLINE (through September 2012) without language restriction. We summarized prevalence and associations with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality using random-effects meta-analysis. We explored for sources of heterogeneity between studies using meta-regression.

RESULTS

Eighty-eight studies in 125 populations comprising 11 340 adults were eligible. Edentulism affected one in five adults with CKD Stage 5D (dialysis) {20.6% [95% confidence interval (CI), 16.4-25.6]}. Periodontitis was more common in CKD Stage 5D [56.8% (CI, 39.3-72.8)] than less severe CKD [31.6% (CI, 19.0-47.6)], although data linking periodontitis with premature death were scant. One-quarter of patients with CKD Stage 5D reported never brushing their teeth [25.6% (CI, 10.2-51.1)] and a minority used dental floss [11.4% (CI, 6.2-19.8)]; oral pain was reported by one-sixth [18.7% (CI, 8.8-35.4)], while half of patients experienced a dry mouth [48.4% (CI, 37.5-59.5)]. Data for kidney transplant recipients and CKD Stages 1-5 were limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral disease is common in adults with CKD, potentially reflects low use of preventative dental services, and may be an important determinant of health in this clinical setting.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw and Oral Health–Related Quality of Life After Adjuvant Zoledronic Acid: An Adjuvant Zoledronic Acid to Reduce Recurrence Trial Subprotocol (BIG01/04)

Purpose

In patients with early breast cancer, adjuvant zoledronic acid (zoledronate) may reduce recurrence and improve survival. However, zoledronate is associated with the occasional development of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). We report on the frequency of ONJ and investigate oral health–related quality of life (Oral-QoL) in a large randomized trial (Adjuvant Zoledronic Acid to Reduce Recurrence [AZURE]).

Patients and Methods

Three thousand three hundred sixty women with stage II or III breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive standard adjuvant systemic therapy alone or with zoledronate administered at a dose of 4 mg for 19 doses over 5 years. All potential occurrences of ONJ were reported as serious adverse events and centrally reviewed. Additionally, we invited 486 study participants to complete the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) to assess Oral-QoL around the time the patients completed 5 years on study. Multivariable linear regression was used to calculate mean scores and 95% CIs in addition to identifying independent prognostic factors.

Results

With a median follow-up time of 73.9 months (interquartile range, 60.7 to 84.2 months), 33 possible cases of ONJ were reported, all in the zoledronate-treated patients. Twenty-six cases were confirmed as being consistent with a diagnosis of ONJ, representing a cumulative incidence of 2.1% (95% CI, 0.9% to 3.3%) in the zoledronate arm. Three hundred sixty-two patients (74%) returned the OHIP-14 questionnaire. Neither the prevalence nor severity of impacts on Oral-QoL differed significantly between zoledronate patients and control patients.

Conclusion

Adjuvant zoledronate used in the intensive schedule studied in the AZURE trial is associated with a low incidence of ONJ but does not seem to adversely affect Oral-QoL.

Evaluation of the similarities and differences in response patterns to the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and the Child Oral Health Impact Scores among youth with cleft

PURPOSE

To examine (a) the pattern of responses to a generic health-related quality of life (HRQL) measure (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory--PedsQL) and an oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measure (Child Oral Health Impact Profile--COHIP), and (b) the associations of these scores with surgical recommendation status among youth with cleft.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data (baseline) regarding clinicians' surgical recommendations and quality of life (QoL) measures were examined from an ongoing observational study on treatment outcomes. Approximately one-third of the racially and geographically diverse sample (N = 1,200; mean = 11.6 years) received surgical recommendations to correct either visible (aesthetic) or invisible (functional) defects. Effect sizes were used to quantify differences in QoL based on surgical recommendation and to compare the sensitivity of the PedsQL and COHIP subscales. Using Pearson coefficients, the scores of those recommended for surgery were compared with those without a surgical recommendation.

RESULTS

A moderate correlation (0.52) was found between the total scores on the PedsQL and COHIP (p < 0.0001). Subscale correlations between the QoL measures ranged from 0.19 to 0.48 with the strongest correlation between the PedsQL Emotional (r = 0.47) and COHIP Socioemotional Well-being subscale. The effect size for the COHIP Socioemotional Well-being (0.39) was larger than the PedsQL Social/Emotional (0.07/0.11) subscale (Z = 5.30/Z = 4.64, p < 0.0001, respectively), and the total COHIP (0.31) was significantly greater than the total PedsQL scale (0.15, z = 2.65, p = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

A significant relationship was found between generic HRQL, OHRQoL, and surgical needs among youth with cleft with the COHIP having larger effect sizes than the PedsQL among surgical groups.

Global burden of oral conditions in 1990-2010: a systematic analysis

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 Study produced comparable estimates of the burden of 291 diseases and injuries in 1990, 2005, and 2010. This article reports on the global burden of untreated caries, severe periodontitis, and severe tooth loss in 2010 and compares those figures with new estimates for 1990. We used disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and years lived with disability (YLDs) metrics to quantify burden. Oral conditions affected 3.9 billion people, and untreated caries in permanent teeth was the most prevalent condition evaluated for the entire GBD 2010 Study (global prevalence of 35% for all ages combined). Oral conditions combined accounted for 15 million DALYs globally (1.9% of all YLDs; 0.6% of all DALYs), implying an average health loss of 224 years per 100,000 population. DALYs due to oral conditions increased 20.8% between 1990 and 2010, mainly due to population growth and aging. While DALYs due to severe periodontitis and untreated caries increased, those due to severe tooth loss decreased. DALYs differed by age groups and regions, but not by genders. The findings highlight the challenge in responding to the diversity of urgent oral health needs worldwide, particularly in developing communities.

Paradoxical surrogate markers of dental injury-induced pain in the mouse

Dental pain, including toothache, is one of the most prevalent types of orofacial pain, causing severe, persistent pain that has a significant negative effect on quality of life, including eating disturbances, mood changes, and sleep disruption. As the primary cause of toothache pain is injury to the uniquely innervated dental pulp, rodent models of this injury provide the opportunity to study neurobiological mechanisms of tissue injury-induced persistent pain. Here we evaluated behavioral changes in mice with a dental pulp injury (DPI) produced by mechanically exposing the pulp to the oral environment. We monitored the daily life behaviors of mice with DPI, including measures of eating, drinking, and movement. During the first 48 hours, the only parameter affected by DPI was locomotion, which was reduced. There was also a significant short-term decrease in the amount of weight gained by DPI animals that was not related to food consumption. As cold allodynia is frequently observed in individuals experiencing toothache pain, we tested whether mice with DPI demonstrate an aversion to drinking cold liquids using a cold-sucrose consumption test. Surprisingly, mice with DPI increased their consumption of sucrose solution, to over 150% of baseline, regardless of temperature. Both the weight loss and increased sucrose intake in the first 2 days of injury were reversed by administration of indomethacin. These findings indicate that enhanced sucrose consumption may be a reliable measure of orofacial pain in rodents, and suggest that alterations in energy expenditure and motivational behaviors are under-recognized outcomes of tooth injury.

Oral health-related quality of life is important for patients, but what about populations?

OBJECTIVES

To review population-based research into oral health-related quality of life.

METHODS

Narrative review of selected publications.

RESULTS

In the 1970s, there were two incentives to assess nonclinical aspects of health: (i) a desire to understand the impacts of disease on individuals' quality of life; and (ii) a search for population-level measures that might better quantify the impact of health care systems on populations. Dental researchers responded to those incentives, creating dozens of questionnaires that assess individuals' ratings of subjective oral health and quality of life. This has been a boon for clinical dental research, for example, by showing marked improvements in subjective oral health in patients receiving implant-supported dentures. Also, health surveys show poorer subjective oral health among disadvantaged population groups. However, the same measures show only modest benefits of general dental care. Furthermore, several population surveys show that today's young adults, who grew up with widespread exposure to preventive dental programs, have poorer subjective oral health than earlier generations that experienced unprecedented levels of oral disease. Yet to materialize is the hope that 'socio-dental indicators' of subjective oral health might provide a meaningful metric to demonstrate population-level benefits of dental care. A fundamental limitation is that population health is a contextual measure, not merely the aggregated health status of individuals within the population.

CONCLUSION

While researchers have successfully broken with clinical dogma by assessing subjective dimensions of individuals' oral health, they have failed to explicitly ask people to assess the oral health of the community in which they live.

Factors related to oral health-related quality of life of independent brazilian elderly

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the factors associated with the impact of oral health on the quality of life in a sample of 504 Brazilian independent elderly. Data collection included oral examinations and structured interviews. The simplified form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to measure OHRQoL. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, use of dental services, and subjective measures of health was collected. Poisson regression within a hierarchical model was used to data analyses. The following variables were associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL: female gender (PR = 1.40; CI 95%: 1.11-1.77); lower class (PR = 1.58; CI 95%: 1.13-2.20); up to 3 occluding pairs of posterior teeth (PR = 1.88; CI 95%: 1.13-3.14); at least one untreated caries (PR = 1.28; CI 95%: 1.06-1.54); curative reasons for the last dental appointment (PR = 1.52; CI 95%: 1.15-2.00); poor self-perception of oral health (PR = 2.49; CI 95%: 1.92-3.24); and poor perception of dental care provided (PR = 1.34; CI 95%: 1.12-1.59). The younger elderly also noticed this negative impact. These findings showed that the clinical, sociodemographic, and subjective factors evaluated exerted a negative impact on OHRQoL in elderly people. Health authorities must address all these factors when planning interventions on oral health for this population.

Neighborhood social capital, neighborhood attachment, and dental care use for Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey adults

OBJECTIVES

We tested the hypothesis that neighborhood-level social capital and individual-level neighborhood attachment are positively associated with adult dental care use.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the 2000-2001 Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey that were linked to US Census Bureau data from 2000 (n = 1800 adults aged 18-64 years across 65 neighborhoods). We used 2-level hierarchical logistic regression models to estimate the odds of dental use associated with each of 4 forms of social capital and neighborhood attachment.

RESULTS

After adjusting for confounders, the odds of dental use were significantly associated with only 1 form of social capital: social support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.72, 0.99). Individual-level neighborhood attachment was positively associated with dental care use (AOR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.10).

CONCLUSIONS

Contrary to our hypothesis, adults in neighborhoods with higher levels of social capital, particularly social support, were significantly less likely to use dental care. Future research should identify the oral health-related attitudes, beliefs, norms, and practices in neighborhoods and other behavioral and cultural factors that moderate and mediate the relationship between social capital and dental care use.

Prevalence of toothache and associated factors: a population-based study in southeast iran

INTRODUCTION

This study was carried out to estimate toothache prevalence among adult residents in Kerman.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted among individuals aged over 18 years (n=1800). The relevant data on the prevalence of toothache and associated factors were collected by interviewing the individuals in their homes and filling out a questionnaire designed by the examiners. Prevalence of toothache and associated factors that patients recalled previous to their interview were analyzed by chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Nine hundred ninety-one individuals (55.1%) reported toothache during the 6 months before the interview. The participants who flossed daily, had regular dental visits, and had higher education showed a significantly lower prevalence of toothache (P<0.05), whereas regular tooth brushing and economic level of residency had no significant effect on the prevalence of toothache. Individuals between the ages of 26 and 45 [odds ratio (OR)=2.0], with a family size of more than 4 (OR=1.5), not using dental floss (OR=1.5), or having a mental or psychological illness (OR=1.5) were more likely to have a history of toothache.

CONCLUSION

High prevalence of toothache (more than half) among residents of Kerman shows a serious and major public health problem. Toothache prevalence in middle aged adults, lower education, bigger family size, lower dental hygiene habit and/or those having mental or psychological illness were more common in the city of Kerman.

Oral health status and needs of homebound elderly in an urban home-based primary care service

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed the oral health status, dental utilization and dental needs of the homebound elderly (HBE) care patients within the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctor program.

METHODS

Of the 334 eligible patients, 57% agreed to participate and 95.4% completed the clinical examinations, the Dental Utilization and Needs survey and Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index conducted in each subject's home by a trained research team.

RESULTS

Among 75% who were dentate subjects, 40% needed restorative dental care, 45.6% needed dental extractions, and 33% complained of current oral pain. Overall, 92.0% needed some type of dental care and 96% stated that they had not seen a dentist since they became homebound (mean number of years in program = 3.2 ± 2.58).

CONCLUSION

Findings show the oral health status of these homebound elderly was poor and their quality of life was significantly affected by the lack of basic dental care.

Quality-of-life before and after cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients with intra-oral injection phobia

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate quality-of-life (QoL), before and after cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients diagnosed with intra-oral injection phobia according to DSM-IV and to compare with the general population. This study also aimed to evaluate if QoL was associated with self-reported injection anxiety, dental anxiety, time since last dental treatment and oral health.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Subjects were 55 patients (mean age 35.5 ± 12.2, 78.2% women) who participated in a treatment study in which 89% managed an intra-oral injection at 1 year follow-up. The patients completed a set of questionnaires including Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI), Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety, Dental Anxiety Scale and a single-item question assessing self-perceived oral health. Objective measures of oral health and treatment needs were based on clinical examination. QOLI-scores from a non-clinical sample were used for comparison.

RESULTS

Before treatment the general and health specific QoL were lower among intra-oral injection phobics than in the non-clinical sample. At 1 year follow-up the QoL in general had improved significantly and was similar to that of the non-clinical sample. Poor self-reported oral health and long-term avoidance of dental treatment were associated with lower general and health-specific QoL. Self-reported injection anxiety and dental anxiety were not associated with QoL.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with intra-oral injection phobia report lower QoL compared with a general population. Phobia treatment seems to increase QoL to normative levels. Self-perceived poor oral health is associated with reduced QoL in these patients.

Embedding a population oral health perspective in the dental curriculum

Over the past 40 years, oral healthcare has changed dramatically as a consequence of changing disease profiles and population demography. However, dental disease continues to be highly prevalent and costly to treat. Furthermore, it has been recognized that there are inequalities, with tooth loss being influenced by social, cultural and economic factors. Undergraduate education has been task oriented, with a heavy emphasis on training in technical aspects of treating disease. However, oral healthcare education needs to include a population health perspective, and each professional programme should describe appropriate learning outcomes for population oral health. This includes the need to understand health systems and health trends, and to have knowledge of the evidence base for community prevention strategies and health promotion. A key challenge in embedding population oral health into the curriculum is to break down traditional boundaries in the curriculum and to make teaching of this subject context specific and interdisciplinary. Embedding population oral health offers the potential to create synergies between educators and health service providers with the ultimate benefit of producing a reflective and holistic oral health practitioner. There are challenges, but it is important to produce graduates whose attitudes and clinical practices will be shaped by a sound knowledge of population oral health.

Setting oral health goals that include oral health-related quality of life measures: a study carried out among adolescents in Thailand

The aim of this study was to assess the association between oral diseases and condition-specific oral health-related quality of life (CS-OHRQoL) as a basis for proposing OHRQoL-based goals for the population of 15-year-olds in Thailand. Oral examinations and OHRQoL interviews were conducted with 871 15-year-olds as part of the Sixth Thailand National Oral Health Survey. The severity of oral impacts was categorized using "intensity". Associations between oral diseases and CS-OHRQoL were analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression. Thirty-nine percent of 15-year-olds experienced moderate/higher levels oral impacts on quality of life. Compared to those individuals with no tooth decay, adolescents with one or four or more decaying teeth were three and seven times more likely to experience moderate/higher impacts, respectively. Adolescents with extensive gingivitis in 3 or more mouth sextants were twice as likely to experience moderate/higher CS-impacts. Based on these findings, it is proposed that goals should focus on untreated decaying teeth and extensive gingivitis. Oral health goals for 15-year-olds should include specific OHRQoL measures.

The impact of oral health on the academic performance of disadvantaged children

OBJECTIVES

We measured the impact of dental diseases on the academic performance of disadvantaged children by sociodemographic characteristics and access to care determinants

METHODS

We performed clinical dental examinations on 1495 disadvantaged elementary and high school students from Los Angeles County public schools. We matched data with academic achievement and attendance data provided by the school district and linked these to the child's social determinants of oral health and the impact of oral health on the child's school and the parents' school or work absences.

RESULTS

Students with toothaches were almost 4 times more likely to have a low grade point average. About 11% of students with inaccessible needed dental care missed school compared with 4% of those with access. Per 100 elementary and high school-aged children, 58 and 80 school hours, respectively, are missed annually. Parents averaged 2.5 absent days from work or school per year because of their children's dental problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral health affects students' academic performance. Studies are needed that unbundle the clinical, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges associated with this epidemic of dental disease in children.

Poor oral health as an obstacle to employment for Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities

OBJECTIVES

To inform policy with better information about the oral health-care needs of a Medicaid population that engages in employment, that is, people ages 16 to 64 with Social Security-determined disabilities enrolled in a Medicaid Buy-In program.

METHODS

Statistically test for significant differences among responses to a Medicaid Buy-In program satisfaction survey that included oral health questions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) to results for the state's general population and the US general population.

RESULTS

All measures of dental care access and oral health were significantly worse for the study population as compared with a state general population or a US general population. Differences were particularly pronounced for the OHIP measure for difficulty doing one's job due to dental problems, which was almost five times higher for the study population.

CONCLUSIONS

More comprehensive dental benefits for the study population could result in increased oral and overall health, and eventual cost savings to Medicaid as more people work, have improved health, and pay premiums for coverage.

Level of oral health impacts among patients participating in PEARL: a dental practice-based research network

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether participants of a dental practice-based research network (PBRN) differ in their level of oral health impact as measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) questionnaire.

METHODS

A total of 2410 patients contributed 2432 OHIP measurements (median age = 43 years; interquartile range = 28) were enrolled in four dental studies. All participants completed the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) during a baseline visit. The main outcome of this study was the level of oral health impact, defined as follows: no impact ('Never' reported on all items); low ('Occasionally' or 'Hardly ever' as the greatest frequency score reported on any item); and high ('Fairly often' or 'Very often' as the greatest frequency reported on any item). Polychotomous logistic regression was used to develop a predictive model for the level of oral health impact considering the following predictors: patient's age, gender, race, practice location, type of dentist, and number of years the enrolling dentist has been practicing.

RESULTS

A high level of oral health impacts was reported in 8% of the sample; almost a third (29%) of the sample reported a low level of impacts, and 63% had no oral health impacts. The prevalence of impacts differed significantly across protocols (P < 0.001). Women were more likely to be in the high oral impact group than in the no impact group compared to men (OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.06-1.99). African Americans were more likely to report high oral impacts when compared to other racial/ethnic groups (OR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.26-3.55). Protective effects for being in the high or in the low-impact groups were observed among patients enrolled by a solo practice (P < 0.001) or by more experienced dentists (P = 0.01). A small but highly significant statistical association was obtained for patient age (P < 0.001). In the multivariate model, patient's age, practice size, and gender were found to jointly be significant predictors of oral health impact level.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients' subjective report of oral health impact in the clinical setting is of importance for their health. In the context of a dental PBRN, the report of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was different across four dental studies. The observed findings validate the differential impact that oral health has on the patients' perception of OHRQoL particularly among specific groups. Similar investigations to elucidate the factors associated with patient's report of quality of life are warranted.

Relationships between oral diseases and impacts on Thai schoolchildren's quality of life: evidence from a Thai national oral health survey of 12- and 15-year-olds

OBJECTIVES

To assess the associations between oral disease and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a nationally representative sample of 12- and 15-year-old Thai populations.

METHODS

The study was part of Thailand National Oral Health Survey. Data on oral diseases using WHO criteria and OHRQoL using the Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (Child-OIDP) for 12-year-olds and Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP) indexes for 15-year-olds were collected from 1063 12-year-olds and 811 15-year-olds. The associations of oral diseases and OHRQoL and perceived dental need were investigated using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Of 81.7% of 12-year-olds and 83.2% of 15-year-olds had impacts on OHRQoL. For both age groups, gingivitis was the most common oral disease (79.3% in 12-year-olds, 81.5% in 15-year-olds). Oral impacts were significantly associated with high levels of untreated decay. Perceived dental needs were significantly associated with untreated decay and extensive gingivitis for both age groups, and with calculus for 12-year-olds. Having decayed teeth was statistically associated with impacts on relaxing, emotion and study for both age groups. Gingivitis and calculus were significantly associated with impacts on smiling, study and social contact in 12-year-olds, and with impacts on smiling in 15-year-olds.

CONCLUSIONS

Gingivitis was the most common oral disease whereas dental caries affected children's quality of life most. Dental caries impacted on various daily life performances while gingivitis and calculus related to psychosocial aspects in 12-year-olds.

Uso regular de serviços odontológicos entre adultos e idosos em região vulnerável no sul do Brasil

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência do uso regular de serviços odontológicos por adultos e idosos em comunidade vulnerável e identificar fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de base populacional com 3.391 adultos e idosos de áreas de vulnerabilidade social de Porto Alegre, RS, de julho a dezembro de 2009. Foi utilizada amostragem sistemática com probabilidade proporcional ao tamanho de cada um dos 121 setores censitários. O desfecho "utilização regular de serviços odontológicos" foi definido consultar com o dentista regularmente, tendo ou não problemas de saúde bucal. Foi aplicado questionário padronizado, que incluiu variáveis demográficas, socioeconômicas, tipo de local procurado, autopercepção de saúde bucal e necessidades autopercebidas. Utilizou-se teste qui-quadrado para heterogeneidade na análise bivariada e na análise ajustada regressão de Poisson, com variância robusta e teste de heterogeneidade de Wald. RESULTADOS: A prevalência do uso regular de serviços odontológicos foi de 25,7%. A prevalência foi maior entre os indivíduos com escolaridade > 12 anos (RP 2,48 [IC95% 1,96;3,15]), mais ricos (RP: 1,95 [IC95% 1,03;1,53]), que utilizaram serviços privados de saúde (RP1,43 [IC95% 1,20;1,71]), com ótima autopercepção de saúde bucal (RP 4,44 [IC95% 3,07;6,42]) e autopercepção de necessidade de consultas para fins de revisão (RP 2,13 [IC95% 1,54;2,96]). CONCLUSÕES: Observam-se desigualdades na utilização regular de serviços odontológicos. Ações que contribuam para aumentar o conhecimento sobre a saúde bucal e melhoria do autocuidado, além de acesso a serviços odontológicos que visem à integralidade da atenção, podem contribuir para o aumento do uso regular dos serviços odontológicos.

Quality of life improves among post-menopausal women who received bone augmentation during dental implant therapy

Quality of life outcomes among patients receiving implants have been well studied, but little is known about the effects of bone augmentation in this therapy. The purpose of this paper was to assess quality of life changes among postmenopausal women receiving dental implants with bone augmentation during implant therapy. This was a prospective cohort study. 48 patients were recruited at the University of Connecticut Health Center and received one of three surgical augmentation methods: dehiscence repair; expansion alone; or expansion with dehiscence repair. The predictor variable was type of augmentation procedure. Quality of life measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was the outcome measure and was assessed prior to treatment, 1 week, 8 weeks and 9 months after surgery. Changes in OHIP-14 were evaluated by repeated measures analysis of variance. The mean initial OHIP-14 scores on total items checked were 4.6 (SD=3.0) and declined significantly to 2.0 (SD=2.0) at 9 months. The mean baseline severity score was 15.4 (SD=8.9) improving significantly to 7.5 (SD=7.6) at 9 months. Type of augmentation procedure did not affect quality of life. The participants' quality of life improved continuously from the pretreatment to the 9-month assessment, including improvements 1 week after implant placement.

The relationship of oral health literacy with oral health-related quality of life in a multi-racial sample of low-income female caregivers

Background

To investigate the association between oral health literacy (OHL) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and explore the racial differences therein among a low-income community-based group of female WIC participants.

Methods

Participants (N = 1,405) enrolled in the Carolina Oral Health Literacy (COHL) study completed the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile Index (OHIP-14, a measure of OHRQoL) and REALD-30 (a word recognition literacy test). Socio-demographic and self-reported dental attendance data were collected via structured interviews. Severity (cumulative OHIP-14 score) and extent of impact (number of items reported fairly/very often) scores were calculated as measures of OHRQoL. OHL was assessed by the cumulative REALD-30 score. The association of OHL with OHRQoL was examined using descriptive and visual methods, and was quantified using Spearman's rho and zero-inflated negative binomial modeling.

Results

The study group included a substantial number of African Americans (AA = 41%) and American Indians (AI = 20%). The sample majority had a high school education or less and a mean age of 26.6 years. One-third of the participants reported at least one oral health impact. The OHIP-14 mean severity and extent scores were 10.6 [95% confidence limits (CL) = 10.0, 11.2] and 1.35 (95% CL = 1.21, 1.50), respectively. OHL scores were distributed normally with mean (standard deviation, SD) REALD-30 of 15.8 (5.3). OHL was weakly associated with OHRQoL: prevalence rho = -0.14 (95% CL = -0.20, -0.08); extent rho = -0.14 (95% CL = -0.19, -0.09); severity rho = -0.10 (95% CL = -0.16, -0.05). "Low" OHL (defined as < 13 REALD-30 score) was associated with worse OHRQoL, with increases in the prevalence of OHIP-14 impacts ranging from 11% for severity to 34% for extent. The inverse association of OHL with OHIP-14 impacts persisted in multivariate analysis: Problem Rate Ratio (PRR) = 0.91 (95% CL = 0.86, 0.98) for one SD change in OHL. Stratification by race revealed effect-measure modification: Whites--PRR = 1.01 (95% CL = 0.91, 1.11); AA--PRR = 0.86 (95% CL = 0.77, 0.96).

Conclusions

Although the inverse association between OHL and OHRQoL across the entire sample was weak, subjects in the "low" OHL group reported significantly more OHRQoL impacts versus those with higher literacy. Our findings indicate that the association between OHL and OHRQoL may be modified by race.