Demographic profile, Oral Health Impact Profile and Dental Anxiety Scale in patients with chronic periodontitis: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether dental anxiety (DA) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) differ between persons with and those without chronic periodontitis. METHODS: One-hundred patients with chronic periodontitis and 50 age- and- sex-matched controls were included. Data were collected on the following: demographics; smoking habits; Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for dental pain assessment; Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS); Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14); Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index; Plaque Index (PI); probing depth (PD); bleeding on probing (BOP); and radiographic bone loss. RESULTS: Patients with chronic periodontitis exhibited a significantly higher percentage of high anxiety and phobia compared with subjects in the control group. Furthermore, patients with chronic periodontitis were statistically significantly more likely to consider themselves as suffering from dental anxiety (68.7% vs. 14.3%, P < 0.001) as well as more likely to have fear of receiving dental injections, hearing the dental drill noise and feeling a foreign object in the mouth. Patients with chronic periodontitis exhibited worse OHIP-14 global scores as well as worse scores in the following individual domains: functional limitation (P = 0.005); physical disability (P = 0.003); psychological disability (P = 0.010); social disability (P = 0.011); and handicap (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with controls, patients with chronic periodontitis had higher levels of dental anxiety and worse OHRQoL. It is important to consider dental anxiety and OHRQoL assessment as an integral component of the evaluation of patients with chronic periodontitis. Communication between dental and behavioral health professionals is needed to implement a multidisciplinary team approach involving behavioural and psychological interventions.

Dental anxiety and oral health-related quality of life in aggressive periodontitis patients.

OBJECTIVES: To measure dental anxiety levels and oral health-related qualities of life (OHRQoL) in patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP) compared to controls and analyze their association with various demographic and clinical parameters. METHODS: Sixty consecutive patients with AgP were compared to 80 age- and sex-matched controls with no known history of periodontal disease. Collected data included demographics, smoking habits, numerical rating scale (NRS), Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), DMFT index (Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth), Plaque Index (PI), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and radiographic bone loss. RESULTS: AgP patients exhibited statistically significant higher scores in the DAS total as well as sub-scores, except from DAS 1st question. Compared to the control group, AgP patients exhibited worse OHIP-14 global as well as in all individual OHIP-14 domains scores. Among both AgP and control patients, the physical pain domain was where the highest impact was recorded, while the lowest impact was recorded in the functional limitation domain. CONCLUSIONS: AgP patients were positively associated with higher levels of dental anxiety and worse OHRQoL. Self-perception of dental anxiety and OHRQoL should be regarded as an integral element in routine diagnostic work-up process of periodontal diseases. STATEMENT OF CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Aggressive periodontitis (AgP) patients exhibited higher dental anxiety levels and worse oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) compared to controls. Professionals should design strategies that will cope with the dental anxiety associated with the treatment and prevent decreases in OHRQoL.