Abstract
ObjectiveThe oral health-related quality of life has recently been reported to be a rather important aspect of general health. Dropping out of dental treatment has long been a problem plaguing oral health. However, the relationship between dropout for dental treatment and the oral health-related quality of life is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral health-related quality of life in patients who dropped out of dental treatment.Materials and methodsWe conducted a questionnaire-based investigation using web research. The participants were allocated to two groups (dropout group and maintenance group). The dropout group included participants who had stopped visiting their dental office in the past and had not revisited in the last decade. The maintenance group included patients who visited their dental office continually for a regular checkup. We analyzed the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) as an indicator of the oral health-related quality of life and assessed the background characteristics of the subjects.ResultsWe analyzed 225 people in the dropout group and 236 people in the maintenance group. The score of GOHAI was significantly different between the 2 groups (dropout group:47.07, maintenance:48.97, p = 0.035), and the more frequent dropouts brought the less GOHAI score (p = 0.012). Furthermore, the results of a logistic regression analysis showed that dropping out of dental treatment was significantly associated with the GOHAI score (p = 0.002).ConclusionA relationship was demonstrated between the oral health-related quality of life and dental treatment dropout. Furthermore, dental treatment dropout seemed to have negative effects on the oral health-related quality of life.
Highlights
According to current understanding, periodontal disease has a relationship with systemic diseases [1,2,3,4]
The score of General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was significantly different between the 2 groups, and the more frequent dropouts brought the less GOHAI score (p = 0.012)
The results of a logistic regression analysis showed that dropping out of dental treatment was significantly associated with the GOHAI score (p = 0.002)
Summary
The oral health-related quality of life has recently been reported to be a rather important aspect of general health. Dropping out of dental treatment has long been a problem plaguing oral health. The relationship between dropout for dental treatment and the oral health-related quality of life is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral health-related quality of life in patients who dropped out of dental treatment
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