Assessment of the Quality of Life in Patients with Generalized Periodontitis with Manifestations of Anxiety

Abstract

Actuality. Assessment of dental quality of life has become a new approach to preventing and treating diseases of the oral cavity and to organizing comprehensive care for patients in modern conditions. The patient’s quality of life can be affected by age, gender, nature of work, individual characteristics, degree of trust in the doctor, medical informativeness, and other factors. Periodontal diseases lead to a significant decrease in the functional capabilities of the patient’s oral cavity and require long-term treatment and close interaction between the dentist and the patient. Unfortunately, dental treatment often causes some anxiety in patients, so during the appointment, doctors observe psycho-emotional tension and behavioral reactions in approximately 40.0% of patients. The state of the disease and excitement are significantly affecting patients’ quality of life, which has become the subject of current scientific research in medicine. This is because the results of traditional laboratory and instrumental research methods cannot give the doctor a complete picture of the patient’s general condition. That is why the criterion “quality of life” is used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in medical programs and to determine the advantages of a treatment method with equivalent effects of both medicinal therapeutic actions and other medical care.

Purpose. To assess the quality of life of patients with generalized periodontitis with manifestations of anxiety before and after treatment, preventive and corrective measures.

Research materials and methods. An analysis of scientific sources was carried out, and an examination was conducted of 157 patients with generalized periodontitis, I–II degree of chronic course, associated with manifestations of anxiety, aged 35–55 years. The gender composition of patients is men (28.7%) and women (71.3%). The quality of life of patients was evaluated according to the OHIP-14 questionnaire. The survey results were divided into domains that made it possible to analyze patients’ quality of life before and after treatment and preventive and corrective measures. Before the examination and treatment of generalized periodontitis in patients with manifestations of anxiety, according to the study protocol, voluntary informed consent was obtained from patients to participate in it. The Commission confirmed compliance of the research and treatment protocol with the norms of bioethics on issues of bioethical expertise and ethics of scientific research at the Bogomolets National Medical University.

Research results. It was established that diseases negatively affect patients’ quality of life, the degree of which is not always determined by the essence of the disease itself, its symptoms, and the severity of the course. When analyzing the results of the patient questionnaire on the OHIP-14 form, it was found that the average indicators before treatment in the control group of GP-Kg determined the overall quality of life as satisfactory — 24.0 ± 3.49 points. After treatment, preventive measures, and corrective exercises, it was found that the quality of life improved almost twice from 24.0 ± 3.49 to 11.0 ± 1.32 points in the control group of GP-Kg according to all criteria. In the GP-T¹ group, before treatment, the overall indicators of the quality of life were higher by 41.0 ± 6.04 points; that is, the quality of life was worse and was defined as unsatisfactory. After treatment, the indicators decreased to 24.0 ± 6.04 score in the GP-T² group, before treatment, the overall indicators of the quality of life were 49.0 ± 7.64 points, and were defined by the patients as unsatisfactory. After treatment, there were changes up to 29.0 ± 3.77 points, and patients noted improved quality of life after treatment and correction procedures.

Conclusion. Summing up, we can note that periodontal diseases lead to a significant decrease in the functional capabilities of patients, create discomfort in communication, and worsen everyday life. These dental problems are medically, socially, and psychologically significant, affecting patients’ quality of life. Assessment of the quality of life is a promising direction of medicine, which makes it possible to more accurately identify disorders in the health of patients, see the essence of the clinical problem, determine the most rational method of treatment, and evaluate its expected results according to parameters that are at the intersection of the scientific approach of specialists and the subjective point of view of the patient.