Authors: Uyiosa Julia EREGIE, Julie Omole OMO, Matthew Asizide SEDE, Temitope Ayodeji ESAN.
Background: Despite the myriads of reported negative effects associated with complete edentulism, there still exist some individuals who have never sought treatment for their edentulous state.
Objective: To assess the Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of completely edentulous Non-denture wearers.
Materials and method: A Nigerian Pidgin English version translation of the modified 11-item GOHAI questionnaire was used in assessing the OHRQoL of 20 completely edentulous patients who have never sought treatment for their edentulous state. The questionnaire consisted of positive and negative items with a 3-point Likert scale. The 11- item GOHAI questions were further organized into three (3) domains which includes, physical function domain, psychosocial function domain, and pain or discomfort domain. The items under each domain were added together to give the total score of each domain. The total GOHAI score for each patient was the summation of all scores obtained from the 11 questions (comprising the three domains) with the scoring for the positive items reversed. Following assessment of their OHRQoL, reasons why they had never sought treatment was also inquired from the respondents. Afterwards, oral health education was given to them and they were all encouraged to come to the dental clinic for proper treatment of their edentulous state.
Results: The highest GOHAI score of 10.1 ± 3.2 was observed in the psychosocial domain. This was followed by a score of 6.0 ± 1.3 in the physical function domain, while the least score of 4.6 ± 0.6 was observed in the pain and discomfort domain. Overall, a total GOHAI score of 20.7 ± 3.9 was observed among the respondents. When asked about the reasons for not seeking complete denture treatment, ten patients (50%) reported that using dentures was not a priority. Five patients (25%) reported that they were not aware of dentures. Furthermore, inability to afford the cost of treatment for complete dentures and the clinic being too far were reported by 15% and 10% of the participants respectively. None of the participants reported fear and bad experiences from others who have used dentures as a reason for not seeking treatment.
Conclusion: The OHRQoL of completely edentulous patients who have never sought treatment for their edentulous state is low.
View/Download pdf