Quality of life and periodontal health of patients submitted to hemodialysis

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate quality of life for periodontal health in patients undergoing hemodialysis at Hospital Vida in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. Methods: After examination by Research Ethics Committee of Centro Universitário Tiradentes-AL, participants included through convenience sample method, found in hemodialysis at Hospital Vida. General health information, level of education, number of teeth, use of prostheses and periodontal clinical methods were collected through probing. To analyze impact of oral health on quality of life, the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed using arithmetic mean. The OHIP-14 answers received a score that were multiplied by specific weight of each question. The results were grouped and presented by descriptive analysis. Results: 126 participants with a mean age of 52.8 years were included. Among them, 78 (61.9%) men and 48 (38%) women. The mean number of teeth was 15.9 and, at periodontal probing, mean probing depth of 2.6 mm and clinical attachment level of 1.9 mm were observed. Final code OHIP-14 mean was 9.53. Conclusions: After results evaluation, it was possible to observe occurrence of periodontitis in participants, high rates of unsatisfactory dental prostheses, as well as low impact of quality of life in relation to number of teeth and school level.