Objectives: To assess the postoperative oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), pain and swelling after surgical implant placement and to investigate their association with socio-demographic and clinical variables.
Materials and methods: A total of 85 partial edentulous patients requiring implant-supported fixed prostheses were enrolled. Standard surgical practice for implant placement was employed. Interviews were conducted to assess the OHRQoL based on the oral impact on daily performances (OIDP) index preoperatively as well as 2 weeks and 1 month postoperatively in addition to the degree of pain and swelling at 2 weeks postoperatively. The socio-demographic and clinical variables of interest were also assessed.
Results: Patient's OHRQoL was reduced at 2 weeks followed by a return to baseline levels 1 month postoperatively. The median OIDP scores were 5.0, 12.0 and 3.5 preoperatively, 2 weeks and 1 month postoperatively, respectively. Eating and teeth cleaning were affected after surgery. Overall, 50.6% of the patients perceived no to mild pain, whereas 36.5%, 49.4% and 14.1% reported no, localized or extensive facial swelling, respectively. No association was found between pain and any variable, but anterior implantation and bone augmentation were more commonly associated with facial swelling. Oral health-related quality of life worsened in patients with more pain or facial swelling as well as in cases involving multiple implant placement or bone augmentation procedures.
Conclusions: Oral health-related quality of life deteriorated shortly after surgery based on eating and teeth cleaning difficulties. A high degree of pain, extensive swelling, multiple implant placement and bone augmentation procedures were all associated with oral impacts.
Keywords: oral health-related quality of life; patient-based outcome; postoperative pain; postoperative swelling; surgical implant placement.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.