Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Diabetic Patients in a Tertiary Facility: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background: Diabetic patients display an increased risk of oral disorders and reduced oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This study aimed to compare the OHRQoL among diabetic and non-diabetic patients attending a tertiary health facility in Lagos State.

Methods: A descriptive comparative study involving 110 participants, each recruited from the Diabetes and Outpatient clinics in a tertiary hospital, using simple random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection, which included socio-demographic characteristics, oral complaints, glycaemic control, periodontal status and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) to determine the OHRQoL. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of OHRQoL, and pvalue was set at ≤ 0.05 for significance.

Results: The most commonly reported oral complaint was bleeding gums (55.5% in Diabetics, 20.0% in Non-Diabetics), while the least reported was bad breath/mouth odour (12.7% in diabetics, 2.7% in non-diabetics). The mean OHRQoL of the diabetic participants was 9.9 ± 12.3, which is higher than the 6.2 ± 8.8 for non-diabetics. This trend was consistent across all OHIP-14 subscales, with non-diabetics showing significantly lower mean OHRQoL in psychological discomfort (p = 0.004), psychological disability (p = 0.009), social disability (p = 0.013), and handicap (p = 0.001). Diabetic respondents also showed a higher negative impact on OHRQoL in healthy periodontal status, gingivitis, and periodontitis.

Conclusion: A significantly increased OHRQoL was observed in diabetics compared to non-diabetics. Therefore, routine oral health screening is advocated for all diabetic patients to ensure improvement in their overall quality of life and glycaemic control.