Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Oral Health Related Quality of Life among Adults in Karachi, Pakistan - A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is rapidly increasing. Diabetic patients show high risk of oral diseases, and Oral health related quality of life may influence their management and treatment modalities.

Objective: To assess the impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on oral health related quality of life.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), Karachi Pakistan. The study includes type 2 diabetic patients having age 30 or above. A short version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), known as OHIP-14 questionnaire was used. The questionnaire comprised of 14 questions evaluating oral health related problems in seven dimensions of impact i.e. physical pain, functional limitation, psychological discomfort, physical disability, social disability, psychological disability and handicap. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.

Results: Overall mean age of participants was 53.3 ± 11.0 years. Mean score of OHIP was 5.67±5.71. Scores of seven dimensions were analyzed with respect to gender and was found to be significantly different in terms of functional limitations (p-value=0.012) and physical pain (p-value=0.019). No significant correlation was found between glycemic control and OHIP score of the participants.

Conclusion: In the light of these results, it appears that, OHRQOL is not adversely influenced by the presence of T2DM but it demonstrated a different pattern with respect to gender.