Oral health-related quality of life and dental implants - preliminary study

Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is multifaceted and involves many factors. One of them is the use of dental implants. It was the aim of our study to assess whether implant therapy might improve OHRQoL. We consulted patients with at least one Astra Tech implant. Each patient completed oral health questionnaires, which were then statistically evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and Analysis of Covariance from a functional and aesthetic point of view. Differential response on individual scales was assessed using multivariate approach. All twelve marginal Wilcoxon tests showed an overall improvement in OHQoL (alpha = 0.05). On the aesthetic scale, OHRQoL was found to be associated with marital status, aesthetic reasons for undergoing surgery and number of front teeth replaced by implants. On the functional scale, three covariates were statistically significantly and appeared to have affected the levels of OHRQoL. The most significant explanatory effect was observed for the number of front teeth replaced via implantation, followed by the presence of chewing problems. Marital status was also found to have significantly affected the OHRQoL functional scale. Significant implant-related improvements in both scales were observed in patients with at least one implant in the front dental area.