Abstract :
Periodontitis patients experience a poor oral health-related quality of life (OHrQoL) due to the disease burden; thus having a denture would add load on oral health care, comfort and clinical health. This study aimed to determine the patient-reported outcomes among periodontitis patients receiving removable partial dentures (RPD). Clinical notes of 268 patients issued with RPDs at a public university-led dental clinic within 24 months before the study were screened. Subsequently, patients were invited to either a phone call or self-administered survey on their perceived oral health-related quality of life using the Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and satisfaction following treatment received and also invited to a periodontal health examination. Thirty-one patients responded to the survey (mean age 56 + 12.6 years, 60% female), and had missing teeth of 12.4 +7.7 that were replaced by a total of 48 RPDs with either acrylic (66.7%) or cobalt-chrome (33.3%) in previous 3-24 months (average 11.6). Although there were some discomfort and chewing dysfunction (mean GOHAI 1.22-3.13), most never worried about their teeth (58.1%), limited contact with others (64.5%) or used medications to relieve pain (83.9%). The periodontal treatment provided significantly improved periodontal health (p<0.05 for missing teeth, deep sites/PPD, and mobile teeth). In conclusion, most periodontitis patients provided with RPDs were satisfied and found their new dentures to be well-tolerated. Our findings suggest a continuous need to evaluate the resources on patient care to produce optimal returns for oral health and quality of life in the management of periodontitis.
