Quality of life related to oral health in adults in the city of Quito – Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health is an essential component of general health and it has been recognized that it is fundamental for the determination of HRQoL, therefore the quality of life related to oral health (HRQL) is also a multidimensional construct that expresses the degree of perception about the comfort, satisfaction or dissatisfaction of a person in their daily life regarding their oral health. Objective: To determine the quality of life related to oral health in adults in the city of Quito-Ecuador 2021. Materials and methods: descriptive study; cross-sectional, non-probabilistic network or snowball sampling was used. The process consisted of locating people residing in the City of Quito who are 18 years old and over through the virtual platforms email, WhatsApp and Facebook. The sample was made up of 403 participants. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic data and the OHIP-14 items. Results: 65% of those surveyed reported having an income of less than $ 400 per month and 85% did not have dental insurance. Regarding the HRQL, it was found that only in the psychological distress dimension a significant percentage of the individuals surveyed self-reported a negative perception of their HRQL (32% of the sum often, almost always and always). Conclusions: Regarding the HRQL, a significant percentage of the surveyed individuals self-reported a negative perception in the psychological distress dimension. Not so in the other dimensions. The results of the OHIP-14 measurements could be influenced by the low level of income of the individuals that places them as a vulnerable population and this could intervene in the perception of their HRQL since when facing more urgent needs for their material conditions of life could be downplaying the impact of oral conditions.