title: Impact of occlusal support and perceived chewing ability on oral health-related quality of life among patients attending a private dental institution in India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Presence of functional tooth units is essential for preserving masticatory function among individuals. Representing the essence of health promotion practice, demand to measure varied evaluation outcomes is highlighted.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  (1) To assess the influence of occlusal support and perceived chewing ability on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among adults attending a private dental institution in Mangalore. (2) To evaluate occlusal support using Eichner index (EI), perceived chewing ability using a self-administered questionnaire and OHRQoL using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14).
  
  
  METHODS
  Overall, 300 adults attending a private dental institution in Mangalore were included. EI was used to group participants into three groups. The chewing ability was assessed using a questionnaire on perceived difficulty while chewing eight common foods. OHRQoL was measured employing OHIP-14. Perceived general and oral health status and demographic information were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean perceived chewing ability score was 12.98 ± 6.2 and the mean total OHIP score was 9.23 ± 8.9. EI showed a significant relation with perceived chewing ability, OHIP, and perceived general health status (P< 0.05). Perceived chewing ability and OHIP demonstrated a significant correlation (r= 0.31,P< 0.001). Age, gender, education, occupation, monthly income, family income, and number of family members demonstrated a significant association with EI (P< 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that EI, perceived chewing ability, and perceived oral health emerged as significant predictors of OHRQoL (P< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occlusal support was significantly associated with perceived chewing ability, OHRQoL, and perceived general health status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Seebu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhingra
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Gururaghavendran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajesh
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Ashwini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Umesh Y
authors.initials: UY
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Ramya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shenoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Mithun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pai
keywords: Eichner index; oral health-related quality of life; perceived chewing ability