HIV-1 impact on oral health-related quality of life: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study compared the Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in HIV negative patients (Group 1, n=129, mean age: 39.9 ± 15.6, 75 females) and HIV+ patients (Group 2, n=670, mean age: 43.2 ± 9.8, 246 females) from the same socio-economic environment using the OHIP-49 questionnaire. OHIP total score were determined by simple summing. A multiple linear regression model was carried out to predict OHIP scores in which HIV+ patients experienced a significantly (p<0.001) worst OHRQoL for total and every dimension. A general linear model was used for estimating the means in the two groups adjusted for covariates included in the previous model. Adjusted means for subscale and total OHIP scores were significantly higher for Group 2 (61.6 ± 6.26 vs. 119.8 ± 3.31) with a large effect size (0.94). HIV+ infection, decayed teeth, prosthodontic and surgical needs, care index, drug use, employment and age presented an independent effect on questionnaire scores. This study shows that HIV+ infection has an independent and negative impact on the OHRQoL while care index presents a positive impact. Additional factors like high decayed teeth, prosthodontic treatment needs and drug use are independently associated with total OHIP scores, presenting a negative effect on OHRQoL.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV-1 infection
• dental treatment needs
• oral health-Related Quality of life
• OHIP-49
• patient-reported outcomes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Compliance with ethical standards

All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. Institutional Ethical Review Board at FMDUL provided ethical clearance on November 2009 (Protocol:CESHIV-112009).