The association between periodontal diseases and the oral health-related quality of life was determined. The positive effect of the periodontal treatment on the oral health related quality of life was also shown and was most pronounced for patients with a probing pocket depth of > 7 mm.

In this study, patients with PD suffered from OH-related symptoms (xerostomia, drooling, and dysphagia) that impaired their OH-related QoL. Participants felt that they received adequate dental health care; however, dental advice regarding management of PD-related OH problems was often lacking.

Half of the patients with PD reported xerostomia and underestimated their xerostomic status, with higher probability than healthy controls. WSS did not reflect the grade of xerostomia. Patients with PD suffered from impaired OH-related QoL. Dental teams should not overlook these oral health risks.

The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the accuracy of treatment decisions in proximal sites using three intra–oral radiographic systems. Additionally, the impact of an automated non–linear grey–level display was evaluated. Ten observers assessed 84 surfaces on bitewing radiographs for their requirement of restorative treatment using a 6–rank confidence scale. Radiographs were taken with conventional film images (Ultraspeed), a storage phosphor plate (Digora) and a CCD system (Dexis). Additionally, the Dexis software was expanded by a contrast enhancement routine (Dexis+). The restorative treatment threshold was defined as presence of macroscopic cavitation. Regarding the areas below mean ROC curves no significant differences were detected between the groups (p>0.05). Likelihood ratios for positive test results were: 5.29 (Ultraspeed), 8.14 (Digora), 9.67 (Dexis) and 11.37 (Dexis+). The accuracy of restorative treatment decisions based on digital and conventional radiographs is comparable. If a dichotomous treatment decision was requested, the digital systems demonstrated a notable tendency towards higher likelihood of true–positive decisions.

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