Aim: The aim of this multi-centre cohort study was to investigate the association of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NST) on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in general and related to severity of periodontal disease and treatment modalities.
Materials and methods: One hundred and seventy-two patients with periodontal disease from 18 dental practices were measured before and 6-8 weeks after NST using a standardized and validated OHRQoL instrument (Oral Health Impact Profile-G14, OHIP-G14). Another questionnaire was filled out by the dentists to evaluate the influence of treatment modalities and disease severity.
Results: Overall, the mean value of the OHIP baseline improved significantly after NST (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, a significant negative association between the severity of periodontitis and OHRQoL could be detected, and only patients with moderate and severe periodontitis showed a significant improvement of OHIP mean values (p < 0.0001). The results also indicated a significant association of the practitioners (p = 0.0362) as well as treatment modalities (favouring systemic antibiotics, p = 0.0066) regarding the improvement of the patients' OHRQoL.
Conclusion: This study showed that NST is positively associated with patients' oral health-related quality of life. This association seems to depend on the disease severity and caregiver and treatment modality.
Keywords: OHIP; air-powder devices; antibiotics; non-surgical periodontal therapy; quality of life.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.