A Comparison of Impact of Chronic Periodontal Diseases and Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of chronic periodontal diseases (PDs) and compare phases of nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients attending a tertiary care center of eastern Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS Matched for socioeconomic status, participants were recruited in two groups: moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis (n = 24, 43 ± 46 years) and chronic gingivitis (n = 25, 30 ± 96 years). The treatment modalities were scaling and root surface debridement (RSD) and supragingival scaling, respectively. The impact of periodontal disease treatment status was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire of Nepali Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) at baseline and 9-12 weeks after NSPT. RESULTS The median (IQR) OHIP-14 total scores for PDs reduced from 7 (3-11) to 3 (1-7.5) after NSPT. Both groups showed a significant improvement on OHRQoL (p value < 0.001). The periodontitis group showed an increased median (IQR) reduction of 52% (35.22-86.15) compared with the gingivitis group with 27% (0.00-50.00). The impact on orofacial pain, orofacial appearance, and psychosocial dimensions was observed, which improved after NSPT in both groups. CONCLUSION PDs are directly associated with OHRQoL and treatment of the disease may enhance quality of life from a patient's perspective. Scaling and RSD provided better influence on OHRQoL than supragingival scaling.