Concept of functional dentition and impact on the quality of life of partially edentulous patients

Abstract

Main Objective: To compare, through the OHIP-7Sp, the impact on the quality of life of partially edentulous patients, according to WHO criteria “with functional dentition”, 21 or more teeth and “without functional dentition”, less than 21 teeth. Material and Methods: 97 partially edentulous patients were selected between 35 and 75 years old, ASA I or II with ≤ 28 teeth remaining. Were divided in two groups, non-functional dentition (NFD) n=47 and functional dentition (FD) n=50. OHIP-7Sp survey was applied to each patient to measure the impact on quality of life in the seven dimensions considered in this survey. The scale of measurement ranges from 0 to 4, in which 0 is "never" and 4 "always", with a maximum value of 28, considering the instrument in its entirety. Highest score indicates a greater impact on quality of life. For comparison of both groups, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used with a level of 95% significance. Results: Concerning all patients evaluated through the OHIP-7Sp, the mean age was 53 years. There were significant differences in the total OHIP-7Sp score, with a mean and median for the NFD group of 9.53 and 9 and for the FD group 5.02 and 5, respectively. Disaggregating the analysis, significant differences emerged in dimensions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (p<0.05). Conclusion: There was a significantly greater impact on the quality of life, measured with the OHIP-7Sp, in the NFD group compared to the FD group.