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Essay / Quality of life related to oral health - 772
Quality of life can be defined as individuals' perception of their position in life, anchored in a cultural context and a system of values in relationship with their goals, expectations, standards and concerns (1). Over the past decades, the literature has become increasingly interested in the assessment and measurement of quality of life (2). It has been reported to be important for both the individual and society because it helps evaluate relevant patient outcomes, helps evaluate clinical trial results, compares the effectiveness of different treatments, to assess the cost-utility and cost-effectiveness of health care. care programs and contribute to quality assurance(3). A number of instruments to measure oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in relation to oral conditions have been designed (4, 5). They include assessment of impairment and emotional, social, and behavioral domains (6). The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) (7) is one of the most widely used instruments to measure OHRQoL in dentistry (6). It has been translated into many languages including Swedish (OHIP-S) (8), the score has been evaluated and found to have good reliability and validity and is recommended for use in further studies ( 8).Activity of Daily Living (ADL) is a different concept that assesses the impact of certain conditions on daily activities. Von Korff included questions measuring disability in a self-report questionnaire, which was used to compare differences between different pain problems (9). The impact on ADL was part of the disability score. The research diagnostic criteria for tempomandibular disorder (10) incorporated the von Korff Disability Instrument (9) to measure ADL. Several oral conditions...... middle of article...... element of this study. Only a few population studies have described OHRQoL (14). On the other hand, several OHRQoL studies have evaluated older adults (6, 8, 14) or on a sample group suffering from a particular disease (21, 32, 33). Surveying adults of a wide range of ages living normally in their community provides insight into how different oral conditions might affect that community. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the self-reported prevalence of different conditions (TMD, BMS, dry mouth and poor breathing) as well as the comparison of their influences on OHRQoL, the impact of each condition on the activity of daily living (ADL) and perceived need for treatment. Our hypothesis is that TMD exerts more impact on OHRQoL and negatively affects ADLs other than the three conditions. Conditions accompanied by pain and discomfort; TMD and BMS will report more treatment needs