Impact of Oral Health and Sociodemographic Factors on Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of oral health and socioeconomic variables on the quality of life in a sample of low-income Brazilians. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 400 adults assisted by the Rescuing Smiles Social Program (Pernambuco University) in June 2014 in the town of Arcoverde, Pernambuco. Two 18+ physically and mentally healthy people were chosen to participate in the study per household. The data obtained were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: About 75% of participants were female, averaging 42.65 years; 59% had elementary schooling and 27% were illiterate; 63% of them needed dental restorative treatment, 59.5% periodontal, and 43.3% surgical procedures; and 68.2% of the respondents showed partial tooth loss, 22.8% were totally edentulous, and 9% had full dentition. Oral health impact profile (OHIP)-14 average score was 14.91, considered low. The highest averages were observed in low-income individuals (16.25). Individuals with total or partial tooth loss had an average 14.26 and 15.79, respectively, thus showing a statistically significant difference as compared with total dentate (9.86). Conclusion: Although low-income individuals with tooth loss showed the highest OHIP-14 averages, it could be concluded that oral condition did not affect the quality of life of most individuals in the population studied. Clinical significance: Thus, oral health did not have a significant impact on respondent health awareness. This study showed the need to better inform the public of the relevance of oral health to quality of life. Keywords: Oral health, Oral health impact profile-14, Quality of life.