The impact of periodontal therapy on oral health-related quality of life in adults: a systematic review.
BACKGROUND
Periodontal disease negatively affects oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). While there is sufficient evidence for the clinical efficacy of periodontal therapy, data on patient-based outcomes are limited.


OBJECTIVE
To systematically review the available evidence on the impact of periodontal therapy on OHRQoL in adults.


METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL and LILACS were searched without language restrictions. Longitudinal observational and intervention studies assessing changes in OHRQoL using validated measures, in adults with periodontal disease undergoing non-surgical (NST) or surgical therapy (ST), were eligible for inclusion. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and CONSORT-checklist. No meta-analysis was performed.


RESULTS
Eleven studies (seven prospective case-series', one controlled before-after study and three randomized controlled trials) of "medium" methodological quality were included in the review. All studies reported impaired OHRQoL before therapy. Nine studies reported a statistically significant improvement in OHRQoL after NST (follow-up = 1 week to 12 months, p < 0.05). The effect size for this improvement ranged from small (0.27) to large (0.8). No significant differences were reported between different forms of NST. Surgical therapy had a relatively lower impact on OHRQoL. A correlation between poor clinical response to therapy and poor OHRQoL outcomes was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Routine non-surgical therapy can moderately improve the OHRQoL in adults with periodontal disease.
Institute of Dentistry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK. sidshanbhag@gmail.com
Siddharth
S
Shanbhag
Manu
M
Dahiya
Ray
R
Croucher
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome