Impact of periodontal disease on quality of life: a systematic review

Abstract

The diagnosis of periodontal disease is commonly based on objective evaluations of the patient's medical/dental history as well as clinical and radiographic examinations. However, periodontal disease should also be evaluated subjectively through measures that quantify its impact on oral health-related quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of periodontal disease on quality of life among adolescents, adults and older adults. A systematic search of the literature was performed for scientific articles published up to July 2015 using electronic databases and a manual search. Two independent reviewers performed the selection of the studies, extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality. Thirty-four cross-sectional studies involving any age group, except children, and the use of questionnaires for the assessment of the impact of periodontal disease on quality of life were included. Twenty-five studies demonstrated that periodontal disease was associated with a negative impact on quality of life, with severe periodontitis exerting the most significant impact by compromising aspects related to function and esthetics. Unlike periodontitis, gingivitis was associated with pain as well as difficulties performing oral hygiene and wearing dentures. Gingivitis was also negatively correlated with comfort. The results indicate that periodontal disease may exert an impact on quality of life of individuals, with greater severity of the disease related to greater impact. Longitudinal studies with representative samples are needed to ensure validity of the findings.

Periodontal disease among older people and its impact on oral health‐related quality of life

“…The current study included only people aged 70 years or older, while the mean age of the participants included in the study by Bernabé and Marcenes was 41.2 years (SD = 16.2). A recent systematic review including 34 studies also concluded that periodontal disease might have an impact on OHRQL . However, none of the studies in this systematic review investigated only elders.…”

Oral health–related food selectivity among French independently living elders

“…Tactile sensations mediated by mucosal and periodontal mechanoreceptors may indeed influence food perception . Simple gingivitis may, however, not always generate pain although it negatively correlates with comfort . A wide variety of bacteria (including P Gingivalis and A Actinomycetemcomitens ), bacterial wall components (including the lipopolysaccharide or lipoteichoic acid), leucotoxins or inorganic metabolites related to periodontal disease may also evoke sensation ranging from uncomfort to pain within periodontal tissues, suggesting that the potential clinical influence of periodontal status on oral sensory experience while eating.…”

Oral health related quality of life among pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial

“…37 Periodontal treatment had impacts in domains of oral health such function (chewing/eating), psychology (emotional/social aspects) and pain, 20,37 improving these symptoms. Although the change in OHRQoL, measured by OHIP-14 had been moderate, efforts to treat periodontal disease during the pregnancy must be made.…”