Comparative Assessment of Oral Health Related Quality of Life in Chronic Periodontitis Patients of Rural and Urban Populations in Punjab

Purpose: To assess and compare the oral health related quality of life in patients suffering from chronic periodontitis using the short questionnaire of oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) in rural and urban populations of Punjab state, India. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients suffering from chronic periodontitis were screened and divided into two groups, rural and urban (50 participants in each group). The clinical parameters plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), pocket probing depth (PPD) and OHIP-14 were assessed in all patients. Results: The mean PI (2.11 ± 0.635), GI (1.61 ± 0.45), PPD (3.12 ± 0.692) and OHIP-14 (11.49 ± 9.733) scores were significantly higher in the rural than in the urban population (1.69 ± 0.45, 1.56 ± 0.355, 3.30 ± 0.973, 5.88 ± 5.588, respectively) suffering from chronic periodontitis. The most affected domain in the rural population was functional limitation, whereas psychological disability was the most affected in the urban population. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between the periodontal parameters and OHIP-14 (p 0.001) in both groups. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, periodontal status and oral health related quality of life are significantly correlated with each other in both rural and urban populations. Keywords: chronic periodontitis, quality of life, rural, urban