Oral health–related quality of life in partially edentulous patients: Assessments before and after implant therapy

SummaryObjectivesLittle is known about oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) for partially edentulous patients seeking implant therapy. We investigated preoperative and postoperative OHRQoL to determine the impact of prosthodontic treatments.MethodsFrom January 2006 to July 2007, 343 patients (219 in the partially edentulous, “study group”; 124 in the fully dentate, “control group”) were assessed for OHRQoL with a German version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G 21, range 0–84). Assessments were made at the preoperative evaluation and after prosthodontic treatments.ResultsMedian OHIP scores were 17.1 and 3.4 for the study and control groups, respectively (p < 0.01). After prosthodontic treatment, the median OHIP score of the study group decreased from 17.1 to 5.4 (p < 0.01). The types of problems reported pre- and post-treatment were substantially different.ConclusionsPreoperative assessment of OHRQoL identified clear differences for partially edentulous compared to fully dentate patients. The implant therapy had a positive effect on the OHRQoL.