Adding quality of life to measures of OHRQoL

Objectives: All measures of OHRQoL assess the frequency of events associated with oral disorders; they do not assess the extent to which those events impact on the quality of life. This pilot study used three single-item indicators to assess the meaning and significance of oral health impacts. Methods: Data were collected as part of a random digit-dialing telephone interview survey of access to dental care among employed, low income adults. Five OHIP items were included which assessed impacts on daily life; namely, painful aching in teeth or mouth, difficulty chewing foods, difficulty sleeping, difficulty working and feeling embarrassed because of the appearance of the teeth or mouth. Those who reported one or more impacts ‘fairly often' or ‘very often' were asked the following; to what extent do these problems 1) bother you, 2) affect your life overall, and 3) affect the quality of your life? Results: Complete data were obtained from 944 participants aged between 18 and 64 years and all lived in low income households. Almost all, 97% were dentate. The prevalence of impacts at the fairly often/very often threshold was: pain – 7.7%, chewing – 7.6%, sleep – 3.2%, work – 2.0%, embarrassed – 5.9%. Sixteen percent reported one or more of the five impacts at that threshold. Of these, 46.0% reported being bothered by these impacts, 28.2% reported that they affected life overall and 24.3% reported that the quality of their life was affected. Those with the lowest incomes were most likely to report being bothered and that the quality of their life was affected. Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that while one in six reported frequent oral impacts only a quarter of these indicated that it affected their quality of life. This may be due to the severity of the impacts or point to processes of coping and adaptation. Supported by Ontario Ministry of Health.