Effects induced by periodontal disease on overall quality of life and self-esteem

Background and aims: Based on the evidence regarding the relationship between inflammatory processes and stress responses, the present study investigated the association between psychological stress and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measures related to periodontal disease in adult patients. Methods: OHRQoL measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile 49 (OHIP-49), self-esteem measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), NA measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory Questionnaire (EPI-Q), global oral rating of oral comfort and controlling variables (gender, age, number of teeth, experience of periodontitis, location of missing teeth and zone of missing teeth) were collected from 65 patients with periodontitis. Results: Bivariate analyses showed that the EPI-Q score had the highest correlation with OHIP-49 score (p<0.05). Both EPI-Q and RSES scores had a stronger correlation with psychosocial items than physical/functional items of the OHIP-49. In the multivariate analyses, the controlling variables alone explained the variance in the OHIP-49 score, while the addition of EPI-Q score, RSES score, and EPI-Q and RSES score was also explained. Conclusions: NA had the strongest and most clinically meaningful influence, but both NA and self-esteem was found to influence OHRQoL; low self-esteem and high NA was associated with worse OHRQoL. This indicates the possibility of explaining some of tooth loss impacts on OHRQoL based on personality traits. Psychological stress has a pivotal role in worsening OHRQoL in periodontitis patients