RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Patients with diabetes have a poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). It is not clear if this situation could be changed with effective periodontal treatment. This study examined both patients with diabetes and systemically healthy individuals to discover the impact of a gingivitis treatment protocol on OHRQoL and its relation to objective periodontal parameters. DESIGN: After ultrasonic debridement, patients were randomly assigned to an essential-oils (EO) or placebo mouthwash group. At baseline and 3 months, OHRQoL was assessed with the Oral Health and Quality of Life-United Kingdom questionnaire (OHQoL-UK) along with clinical, halitometric, microbiological and inflammatory objective parameters. The primary outcome was a change in OHQoL-UK scores. A factor analysis was performed and the impact of the extracted quality of life factor (QLF) and its interactions with diabetes, treatment, and time on the objective parameters, were tested by multiple linear regression models (p < 0.05). Chi-Square test compared questionnaire-answering profiles (p<0.05). RESULTS: Combined treatment with EO provided OHQoL improvements in both systemic conditions. Positive effect of oral health status on quality of life increased in EO groups but not in placebo groups. Question I (self-confidence) showed the greatest factorial weight, while Question A (food intake) showed the lowest factorial weight. All patients who showed OHRQoL improvements and used the EO rinse showed the lowest plaque and gingival indices and lower levels of bacteria and volatile sulfur compounds. CONCLUSIONS: OHRQoL positively changed overtime. Most effective treatment protocols would provide better improvements in OHRQoL which is related to periodontal objective measures.