Self-reported tooth loss and quality of life among household heads of Jwalamukhi, Dhading, Nepal.

BACKGROUND

Tooth loss remains a significant public health burden in developing countries like Nepal. Since teeth are vital to mastication, speech, and facial esthetics, tooth loss can have a major impact both on the individual and society. Tooth loss shows negative effects on functional and psychological aspects of an individual. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of self-reported tooth loss and its relationship with quality of life among adults residing at Jwalamukhi, Dhading, Nepal.

METHODS

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 810 household heads of Jwalamukhi Rural Municipality, Dhading, Nepal. Interviews were conducted for assessing self-reported tooth loss and oral health related quality of life using Nepali version of OHIP-14. Data collected was entered into Microsoft excel and analyzed with SPSS 24. Mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage were calculated for descriptive analysis of data. Kruskal Wallis H test followed by Mann Whitney U test were performed to determine the relationship between number of self-reported tooth loss and OHIP-14.

RESULTS

Nearly half of the household heads (381, 47.0%) reported to have tooth loss and among them, majority (318, 83.46%) had tooth loss in more than one year. Mean OHIP-14 score of the study participants was 5.22 ± 9.36 (Median 0, IQR 0–6). Completely edentulous household heads had significantly higher OHIP-14 scores (median = 8, IQR = 5.0–28.50) than those without tooth loss (median = 0, IQR = 0–5) or a one to five number of tooth loss (median = 3, IQR = 0-6.50, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings showed that majority of adult residents of Jwalamukhi rural municipality, Dhading had tooth loss. Those having a greater number of self-reported tooth loss had poor oral health related quality of life.