Providing comprehensive dental care improves oral-health-related quality of life of tāngata whaiora (Māori mental health patients)

Abstract

In Aotearoa/New Zealand, tāngata whaiora (Māori mental health patients) have substantial unmet dental treatment needs. The study aim was to investigate the impact of a restored dentition on the oral health-related quality of life of a sample of tāngata whaiora. The participants who were recruited in a stable community setting in Tauranga. The Northern Y Ethics Committee gave ethical approval. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHP-14) short-form survey was undertaken before and after a complete oral rehabilitation. There were 32 participants who undertook the first OHIP-14 interview prior to their dental treatment: 72% of the sample had one or more impacts in any of the 7 OHIP-14 domains. Thereafter, 17 participants (53%) completed the second OHIP-14 interview. The mean OHIP-14 score fell from 22.6 (sd, 15.6) to 9.5 (sd, 11.0), with a large effect size of 0.8. A restored dentition has a marked impact on the quality of life and symptom reduction or improvement of psychiatric symptoms of the participating tāngata whaiora as indicated by the pre- and post-intervention Oral Health Impact Profile data. The study data suggest that providing comprehensive dental care to tāngata whaiora improves their oral health-related quality of life considerably.