ORAL HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (OHRQOL) AMONG PATIENTS VISITING A PRIVATE DENTAL TEACHING HOSPITAL IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The loss of teeth interrupts the mastication, causes difficulty in speaking, affects the facial appearance, and also has negative social and psychological impact and also affects the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL). The objective of this research was to analyze the relation between tooth loss and its impact on OHRQoL by using the Ohip-14 instrument among the patients visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) of Prosthodontics department of a private dental college in Karachi, Pakistan. Cross-sectional research was conducted with the enrolment period starting from May 2017 to October 2017. A self-structured questionnaire was employed to measure demographic data along with Ohip-14 to measure OHRQoL. The prevalence of OHIP-14 among the study participants was 76 %. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between the variable age and the OHIP-14 score. The study suggested that there was a mild association between ohip-14 score with the variable age and tooth loss. Brushing twice a day had low ohip-14 mean score with low impact on OHRQoL.