title: Pain with pericoronitis affects quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between patients' pericoronitis pain symptoms and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes for lifestyle and oral function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects (American Society of Anesthesiologists health risk assessment level I or II) with mild symptoms of pericoronitis were enrolled in a study approved by the institutional review board and asked to complete a QOL instrument specifically for third molar problems covering lifestyle, oral function, and pain. Subjects assessed lifestyle and oral function using a 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from "no trouble" (score, 1) to "lots of trouble" (score, 5), and worst and average pain using a 7-point Likert-type scale, ranging from "no pain" (score, 1) to "worst pain imaginable" (score, 7). Pain levels reported at enrollment were compared with QOL outcomes for lifestyle and oral function using Spearman correlation coefficients. Correlations of at least 0.6 were considered clinically quite important, and correlations of at least 0.4 were considered clinically important. Associations between these outcome measurements were considered statistically significant at a P value less than .05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the 113 subjects were Caucasian (51%), women (56%), 23 years old or younger (58%), and well educated (91% with at least some college). Mean pain levels ± standard deviation were low (worst pain, 3.3 ± 1.5; average pain, 2.4 ± 1.2). All pain outcomes were significantly associated with items in the lifestyle and oral function domains (P < .01). Clinically important correlations were seen between pain outcomes and daily routine, social life, eating a regular diet, chewing food, and talking (P < .0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinically important correlations existed between subjects' pericoronitis pain and lifestyle and oral function, associations not often considered by clinicians or policy makers.
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Caitlin B L
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Magraw
authors.affiliation: Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Brent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Golden
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Ceib
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Senior Resident, Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Dana T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Dental Student, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Munson
authors.affiliation: Dental Student, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Blake P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Dalton L. McMichael Distinguished Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Electronic address: ray_white@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Raymond P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010497:Pericoronitis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011998:Recreation / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult