Periodontitis and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To investigate the association between periodontitis and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adults, and to compare OHRQoL across different severities of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches were conducted in five electronic databases up to December 2023. Observational studies that provided a clear definition of periodontitis and used validated measures of OHRQoL were included. Meta-analyses were performed both overall and based on factors that could explain heterogeneity between studies. RESULTS: Sixty studies comprising 14,851 individuals were included in the review. Meta-analyses showed that periodontitis was associated with impaired OHRQoL any OHRQoL instruments (n = 33 studies; SMD 0.75, 95% CI 0.53-0.93), solely using the OHIP-14 (n = 26 studies; MD 5.14, 95% CI 3.64-6.64), and risk assessment (n = 9 studies; adjusted RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.12-1.78). Stages III-IV periodontitis had a greater impact than Stages I-II periodontitis. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses indicated smaller effect size estimates for individuals with comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis negatively impacts OHRQoL, with a positive score-response relationship found between periodontitis severity and poorer OHRQoL. However, the magnitude of this association appears to be diminished in individuals with comorbidities.