Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and associated factors in patients requiring endodontic treatment.

In dentistry, the need for endodontic treatment has been assessed based on symptoms such as pain, swelling, or sensitivity with minimal focus on the implications on the patient’s daily activities. It is important to measure the impact of oral health issues on the individual Oral Health-related Quality of Life (OHRQoL). Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) is one such tool that co-relates seven aspects of life that are affected by a disease and how a person perceives the changes. Patients who visit the OPD of TMA Pai Hospital who require endodontic treatment will be invited to participate in the study. After the consent, the patient will be selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A self-administered questionnaire in Kannada would be used to gather information on demographics (age, sex, education, occupation, and monthly income). the patient’s current pain will be evaluated with the help of a Visual analogue scale for pain assessment (VAS). The Oral Health-related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) will be measured with the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. The questionnaire will also consist of two global self-rated questions that assess the general and oral health status from the patient’s perspective. A trained and calibrated dentist will conduct a clinical examination which includes the assessment of caries using decayed, missing, and filled teeth index. The periodontal status will be assessed with Community Periodontal Index and Loss of Attachment as per WHO criteria (2013). The Periapical score (PAI indices) will be recorded using intra-oral radiographs (X-rays taken as part of the standard of care for root canal treatment. Normality of the data will be tested and the mean OHIP-14 scores will be compared with categorical variables based on the distribution of data. Significant predictors will be used for multi-variate analysis to calculate the point estimates.

Outcome measures: Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14)

Benefits: Assessing the impact of various factors on oral health-related quality of life at an individual as well as at the community level.

Risks:  Minor increase over minimal risk or Low risk.