[Oral kinesiology and the quality of life].

In a comparative study, the influence of oral health on the quality of life was investigated for people with temporomandibular pain, people with tooth wear and people with complete dentures. To this end, the study made use of the Oral Health Impact Profile. Both the total score and the scores on 4 of the 7 domains of the Oral Health Impact Profile were significantly higher in the research group with temporomandibular pain than in the research groups with tooth wear and complete dentures. These results suggest that among people with temporomandibular pain the influence of oral health on the quality of life is more negative than among people with tooth wear and among people with complete dentures. This result can probably be linked with the general finding that patients with temporomandibular pain bear a relatively high psycho-social burden.