Determinants Related to Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Among Subjects Attending a Dental Institute in Moradabad City − A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: It is very well documented that oral health has a noticeable influence on not only physical but also psycho-social domain of life. Quality of life (QoL) is now recognised as a valid parameter in patient assessment in nearly every area of healthcare, including oral health. Aims: To assess whether the subjects’ complaints affect their QoL and also to determine possible socio-demographic and personal habits-related determinants related to oral health QoL. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in a dental institute in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, from January 2013 to April 2013 on 1054 subjects. Examination of subjects and recording of questionnaires wereperformed by four researchers. Two patient-centred outcome measures, the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and the 16-item Oral Health-related Quality of Life (OHQoL-UK) measure were used. The OHIP-14 and OHQoL-UK scores of groups were expressed as median (interquartile range). The Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: OHIP-14 scores were highest and OHQoL-UK scores were lowest in subjects who came with trauma. OHIP-14 scores were lowest and OHQoL-UK scores were highest in subjects who had orthodontic or aesthetic complaint. It was seen that there was a statistically significant difference in OHQoL-UK (P < 0.001) and OHIP-14 (P < 0.001) scores of subjects according to complaints. Conclusions: OHQoL is poorer in subjects who have complaints of oral disorders.

Keywords

• Life quality
• oral diseases
• oral habits
• oral health