Impact of Tooth Loss Position on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults Treated in the Community

Abstract

Background: Tooth loss is known to have negative effects on both functional and psychological oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), but the impact of the position of the tooth loss (i.e. anterior or posterior) on the different psychosocial dimensions of OHRQoL has yet to be examined. Here, we examined how the position of lost teeth impacts the different dimensions of OHRQoL. Methods: This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study of adults aged 18 years and older attending routine examinations at primary care dental centers in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Demographic information was collected, and OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) (Arabic form). Differences in total and subdomain OHIP-14 scores between individuals without tooth loss and those with ≥1 anterior or posterior missing teeth were assessed using Student's t-test, and analysis of covariance was used to assess the association between the presence and absence of missing teeth in each compartment and total and subdomain OHIP-14 scores after controlling for age, gender, and income. Results: The overall prevalence of tooth loss was 76%. In multivariate analysis controlling for age, gender, and income as covariates, anterior missing teeth were significantly associated with higher OHIP-14 total, physical pain, physical disability, psychological disability, and social disability scores, accounting for 6%–12% of the score variance. However, posterior missing teeth were only associated with total OHIP-14 and functional limitations domain scores, accounting for 6% and 7% of the variance, respectively. Conclusions: Here, we show for the first time the impact of the location of missing teeth on different OHRQoL dimensions. Anterior tooth loss has a wide-ranging impact on both physical and psychosocial functioning compared to posterior tooth loss, suggesting that anterior tooth restoration should be prioritized when treatment planning. The position of lost teeth must be considered in addition to the number of losses when examining the impact of tooth loss and its treatment on OHRQoL.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHQoL) in implant-supported rehabilitations: a longitudinal prospective single-center observational cohort study

“…As described by Gerritsen et al [26], this study provides clear data that tooth loss affects the severity of impairment. As described by Imam et al [27], in cases of loss of one or more teeth, the location of edentulism has some in uence on OHRQoL. Anterior tooth loss has a wide-ranging impact in physical and psychosocial terms compared with posterior tooth loss, suggesting that restoration of anterior teeth should be prioritized in treatment planning.…”

Oral health-related quality of life and reasons for discontinuing partial removable dental prosthesis usage: a cross-sectional study with one to seven years of follow-up

“…When anterior teeth were lost, the participants tended to wear their upper PRDPs, which are assumed to be more noticeable, than their lower PRDPs. This highlights the impact of maxillary anterior tooth loss on psychological and social disabilities aspects [ 23 ]. Consistent with a previous study, our study reinforces the connection between PRDP usage and patients’ satisfaction with esthetics and being pain-free when using the PRDP [ 24 ].…”

Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the perceived prosthodontic treatment need scale: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses

“…Another possible justification is that the position of missing teeth may have a greater influence on psychological factors compared with other factors. A previous study conducted among adults’ patients seeking dental treatment revealed that the location of missing teeth, especially the anterior teeth, has more negative consequences for psychosocial problems [ 12 ].…”

“…Moreover, individuals who experience tooth loss and need dental treatment have a diminished quality of life as a result of compromised oral function, heightened levels of discomfort, and increased anxiety [ 12 , 13 ]. Several recognised scales, such as the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment (GOHAI), may be used to evaluate dental treatment requirements [ 14 , 15 ].…”