Relationship between the SF-36 questionnaire and patient's satisfaction following halitosis therapy.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients complaining of halitosis at their first visit and at a later time when their complaint had diminished following therapy, using a self-administered questionnaire, the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between HRQOL of patients before and after self-reported disappearance of their complaint following oral hygiene improvements for halitosis.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

Seventy patients of our special clinic for halitosis served as subjects. At the first visit, each completed the SF-36 before determination of volatile sulfur compound (VSC) concentration in mouth air. After excluding dropouts, the same measurements were performed for subjects whose self-reported complaint had disappeared following oral hygiene therapy.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: At the initial visit, SF-36 scale scores for general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotion, and mental health were significantly lower when compared with the national averages in Japan. For subjects with self-reported disappearance of complaint, only social functioning rose significantly among SF-36 scores at the end of the study. These results suggest that an awareness of improvement in social life could be related to patient's satisfaction with halitosis oral hygiene therapy.