As the mouth is an integral part of the body, oral health is central to general health. Oral disease can affect quality of life through effects on general health and through direct effects on oral health related quality of life. This presentation will firstly explore the importance of good oral health care to the prevention or management of systemic disease. Secondly it will consider the specific oral impacts of oral health care and the importance of patient reported outcomes in evaluating the success of therapeutic interventions.
Associations have been reported between oral disease and systemic problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and an increased incidence of preterm low birthweight infant births. Effective oral health care which prevents or controls oral inflammation through the life course is an important adjunct to the management and prevention of systemic problems and the maintenance of better general health in our ageing populations.
Clinical outcome measures alone do not capture the impact of oral healthcare on people’s lives. Over the last 20 years, the use of patient-based assessments of health, disease and the impacts of treatments have become widespread. Such assessments allow better estimation of the consequences of disease or the impact of dental treatment, on patients’ quality of life and sense of wellbeing. Oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) is a multidimensional concept that encompasses the physical, social and psychological impact of oral health. Exploration of patients’ perspectives on the outcome of different treatment approaches has revealed a number of positive impacts for interventions including periodontal treatment, implant supported overdentures and orthognathic surgery.
OHRQoL scores are highest among those with a healthy dentition and good oral health may reduce the risk of systemic health impacts. Thus the primary goal of oral healthcare should be effective disease prevention and lifelong tooth retention; after that greater knowledge of which treatments provide the best immediate and long-term patient outcomes is important