Investigating Oral and Dental Health and Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Oral and dental problems can affect the quality of life (QOL) and important aspects of a person’s life by disrupting social presence and interpersonal relationships. This study evaluates the oral and dental health and QOL in patients referring to the dental diagnosis department. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on patients referred to the Diagnosis Department of Dental School at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran. After receiving the code of ethics, the decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) questionnaire was used to measure dental caries, and the shortened questionnaire from the World Health Organization (WHO) was used to measure the QOL-related to the oral health of the patients. Results: The participants were 74(50%) women and 74(50%) men; meanwhile, 104(70.3%) subjects were married and 100(67.6%) did not have a chronic disease and only 28 people (18.9%) were smokers. Marital status had a significant relationship with the DMFT index (P<0.05). A significant relationship existed between smoking and the two scores (DMFT index and WHO QOL brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) (P<0.05). The relationship between occupation and WHOQOL-BREF indices was not significant (P>0.05); however, the relationship was significant with the DMFT index (P<0.05). Conclusion: Smoking increased tooth decay and demonstrated a decrease in the QOL. It is suggested to take measures in people who use tobacco to prevent oral and dental problems and also improve the QOL.