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Can oral health-related quality of life be worsened by dental appointments?
- Source :
- Dental Research Journal; Sep/Oct2020, Vol. 17 Issue 5, p395-403, 9p
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Background: Constraints in dental access and limitations associated with service delivery necessitate the use of an appointment system in patient care. This research aimed to identify association between treatment appointments and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) in dental patients at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study that surveyed 412 individuals. Socio-demographic, clinical history, and OHRQOL data was collected using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess inconvenience while the oral health impact profile-14 was used for OHRQOL assessment at baseline and at review. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS while ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to determined significant association. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Most (175; 45.2%) dental appointments were within a month although 59 (15.2%) individuals had to wait for more than 6 months. Using VAS, 87 (22.5%) individuals were moderately inconvenienced while 68 (17.6%) were extremely inconvenienced. At baseline, the most commonly reported oral health quality of life impacts were within the dimensions "physical pain" and "psychological discomfort." At review, there was increase in OHRQOL scores in the subdomains of pain (2.27 ± 1.80), self-consciousness (1.67 ± 1.15), discomfort on chewing (1.61 ± 1.13), and pronouncing words (1.49 ± 2.21). The highest mean impact score (2.27 ± 1.80) was observed in the subdomain of painful aching in the mouth. Conclusion: Dental appointments appear to result in worse OHRQOL. Since the appointment systems in public oral health facilities may have a direct bearing on OHRQOL of patients, quality control standards on dental appointments should be established and enforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- ACADEMIC medical centers
ANALYSIS of variance
CHI-squared test
HEALTH services accessibility
INTERVIEWING
RESEARCH methodology
MEDICAL appointments
MEDICAL care
ORAL hygiene
QUALITY of life
SURVEYS
STATISTICAL significance
VISUAL analog scale
DATA analysis software
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
INFERENTIAL statistics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17353327
- Volume :
- 17
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Dental Research Journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 145623414
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-3327.294326