ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to translate and validate the condition-specific Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in the Croatian cultural context and assess the impact of periodontal diseases and nonsurgical periodontal therapy on quality of life (QoL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 150 individuals: 50 periodontally healthy, 50 with gingivitis, and 50 with periodontitis who self-administrated the OHIP. The participants' age ranged between 18 and 71 years, with the median age of 45 (34-57) years. Forty-seven percent of the participants were females. The validity and reliability of the Croatian OHIP version were tested. The impact of gingivitis and periodontitis on QoL was assessed. Changes in QoL induced by nonsurgical periodontal therapy in 20 patients with periodontitis were analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Categorical data were presented by absolute and relative frequencies. The normality of the distribution of continuous variables was tested by the Shapiro-Wilk test. Continuous data were described by the median and the limits of the interquartile range (IQR). Differences in continuous variables between two independent groups were tested with the Mann-Whitney U test, and between three groups with the Kruskal-Wallis test (post hoc Conover). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to examine the differences in the total score before and after therapy. All p values were two-sided. The level of significance was set at alpha of 0.05. RESULTS: The analysis detected a single-factor structure that explained for the 56.9% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha value was 0.937, which indicated an excellent internal consistency. Overall OHIP score reported a strong correlation with the subjective estimate of periodontal problems (Rho = 0.92; p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was high (r = 0.984; p < 0.001). The periodontitis group had the highest OHIP score (28 [23-34]), followed by the gingivitis group (14 [12-20]) and the periodontally healthy group (9 [5-11]; p < 0.001). Nonsurgical periodontal therapy significantly improved the QoL in those with periodontitis (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The condition-specific Croatian version of the OHIP instrument can be considered adequate to measure the impact of periodontal diseases on oral health-related QoL. Periodontal diseases, especially periodontitis, have a negative effect on the patient's QoL. Nonsurgical periodontal treatment can improve patients' QoL.
ABSTRACT
Tobacco heating systems (THS) are new products on the market, advertised as a less harmful alternative for smokers, in which tobacco is heated and not burned like in conventional cigarettes. This research explored the effect on periodontal tissues in contact with heating and burning tobacco residual products (smoke and tobacco). METHODS: The sample included 66 subjects, patients of the Clinic of Dentistry in Rijeka, Croatia, aged 26-56 (median 38), 64% females. Three age- and gender-matched groups were formed (each N = 22): non-smokers, classic cigarettes smokers and THS smokers. Probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were primary research parameters. RESULTS: Three groups differed in average PD and CAL (p ≤ 0.002), with cigarette smokers having the highest and non-smokers the lowest values (p ≤ 0.002). THS consumers generally had lower values of periodontal indices than smokers, but only CAL differed significantly (p = 0.011). Periodontal indices CAL and PD were worse in THS consumers than non-smokers, but they did not reach a level of statistical significance. Cigarette smoking was the only predictor of periodontitis (average CAL ≥ 4 mm) in logistic regression models, with an odds ratio of 4.7 (95% confidence interval 1.2-18.3; p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to nicotine-containing aerosol of THS in adults has a less harmful effect on periodontal tissues, measurable through periodontal indices (PD and CAL), compared to burning tobacco of conventional cigarettes. THS, presented as an alternative product to classic cigarettes, also has a detrimental effect on the periodontium.
ABSTRACT
Abstract INTRODUCTION Solid-organ transplant recipients are at risk of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. We analyzed the seroprevalence/risk factors of HEV in Croatian liver transplant recipients. METHODS Two hundred forty-two serum samples were tested for HEV immunoglobuline IgG/IgM and HEV RNA. Sociodemographic data and risk factors were collected using a questionnaire. RESULTS HEV IgG seroprevalence rate was 24.4%. Positive/equivocal HEV IgM were found in two patients. HEV RNA was not detected. Logistic regression showed that older age, female gender, rural area/farm, water well, and septic tank were associated with HEV seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed a high exposure rate to HEV in Croatian liver recipients.