Individuals’ quality of life in periodontal maintenance therapy - critical literature review

Oral health is an integral part of an individual’s general health, interfering with all dimensions of life: functional, aesthetic, psychological, social, physical, nutritional, and even psychosocial. Hence oral health is directly related to quality of life. Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent oral diseases and one of the major causes of tooth loss, impacting negatively on self-reported individuals’ quality of life. Periodontal maintenance therapy aims to effectively minimize the recurrence of periodontal disease, as well as the incidence of tooth loss. In periodontal literature, studies associated with quality of life indicators, presented in the form of questionnaires aimed at measuring the impact of periodontitis and tooth loss on self-reported individual’s quality of life, highlight the "Oral Impacts on Daily Performance" (OIDP) and "Oral Health Impact Profile" (OHIP). As such, this study presents a critical review of the literature and describes the impact of periodontal disease and tooth loss on the quality of life of patients undergoing periodontal maintenance therapy.