Abstract
Objectives: Aim of this systematic review was to assess oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of patients after stroke. Methods: The systematic literature search was performed on December 2021 based on PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus, with the search terms: “oral health-related quality of life” AND stroke OR apoplexy OR ischemic stroke OR apoplectic insult. Articles exclusively examining patients after stroke and reporting a well-documented and valid OHRQoL measurement were included. Results: Out of 68 findings, 8 studies were included. The number of patients ranged between 31 and 549 individuals, mean age between 55.7 and 73.9 years, and 49–72% of individuals were male. Two studies included a healthy control group. Oral health parameters were rarely reported across studies. Five studies reported on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) 14 for OHRQoL, showing means between 2.87 and 33.0 in sum score. Three studies applied Geriatric Oral Assessment Index (GOHAI), with sum scores between 45.6 and 55.0. Only one study found worse OHRQoL in stroke patients compared to healthy controls. Two studies reported on an association between OHRQoL and general quality of life. Three studies found OHRQoL to be associated with different oral health parameters. Only one study found OHRQoL to be associated with stroke-related parameters. Conclusions: Patients after stroke show a reduced OHRQoL. Medical staff and caregivers should support oral hygiene and dental visits, to foster patients’ oral health and OHRQoL.
Highlights
Received: 22 December 2021Worldwide, stroke is a highly prevalent reason for long-term disability, morbidity, and death [1]
Five studies reported on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) 14 for oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), showing means between 2.87 and
Two studies reported on an association between OHRQoL and general healthrelated quality of life [28,29]
Summary
Received: 22 December 2021Worldwide, stroke is a highly prevalent reason for long-term disability, morbidity, and death [1]. Many advances in preventive and therapeutic strategies for stroke have been made, which led to declining mortality rates; the overall global burden of stroke appears to increase continuously [2]. In this respect, the relevance of care for these individuals, especially during rehabilitative measures, is high and a field of increasing scientific interest [3]. Thereby, the OHRQoL reflects the potential influence of oral conditions, including dental, periodontal, and functional diseases, tooth loss, and various other pathologies on quality of life [8,10]. The OHRQoL includes different dimensions, whereby both functional and psychosocial sub-scales are available, which are potentially affected by different oral diseases [11,12]. In turn, common in stroke survivors; Accepted: 3 March 2022
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
