Impact of dental care on oral health-related quality of life and treatment goals among elderly adults.
BACKGROUND
General dental care can effectively control disease and restore damaged tissue, yet little is known about its impact on patients' subjective oral health, namely treatment goals and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This study aimed to evaluate change in both aspects of subjective oral health among elderly adults receiving publicly-funded, general dental care.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective, single-group intervention study of adults aged 75+ years receiving care through the South Australian Dental Service (SADS). Before receiving dental care, subjects completed the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire which evaluates OHRQoL. In this questionnaire, subjects rated the extent to which they had attained a self-nominated oral health goal. Dentists provided standard-of-care treatment and six months later the OHIP-14 and goal attainment questions were re-administered.


RESULTS
Among the 253 adults studied, overall improvements in OHRQoL were observed (p < 0.05), although the effect was dependent on pre-treatment goal: mean OHIP-14 scores did not change significantly for subjects whose goal was less pain/discomfort while significant improvements were observed for subjects with other treatment goals. In contrast, mean goal attainment ratings improved significantly (P < 0.05), regardless of treatment goal categories.


CONCLUSIONS
Dental care was associated with improvements in subjective oral health, although different patterns of improvement were observed for OHRQoL compared with goal attainment ratings.
Gagliardi
D I
DI
Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia.
Slade
G D
GD
Sanders
A E
AE
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003190:Comprehensive Dental Care / Q000145:classification; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000145:classification; D003778:Dentures; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006040:Goals; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000145:classification; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D009909:Oral Health; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life