Oral symptoms and oral health-related quality of life of individuals with x-linked hypophosphatemia

BackgroundThe primary purpose of this study was to collect data on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of individuals with x-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH). It was also designed to gather information on the period of diagnosis, oral symptoms, orthodontic therapy, and satisfaction with dental care and the healthcare system.MethodsA questionnaire was developed to evaluate the OHRQoL consisting of open-ended questions and the standardised German version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14).ResultsThe questionnaires from 43 participants were analysed, including 32 females (74.41%) and 11 males (25.59%). The mean OHIP-14 total score for the combined genders was 10.30 points (range: 0-37 points). For the combined genders, the mean period of time that elapsed between the first signs of the illness and the diagnosis was 5.52years (range: 0-49years). In total, 77.50% of the participants described oral symptoms, such as tooth mineralisation defects (n=26), abscess or fistula formation (n=21), dysgnathia (n=9) and temporomandibular dysfunction (n=2). The correlation between the participants' satisfaction with the healthcare system and the OHIP-14 values was weak (-0.21), and it was not statistically significant (p=0.199).ConclusionsThe majority of the study participants reported oral involvement in the context of XLH, especially dental hard tissue mineralisation disorders, abscess formation and fistula formation. Those individuals affected by XLH with oral manifestations exhibited a tendency toward a worse OHRQoL than those without oral symptoms. In Germany, the OHIP-14 scores for these XLH patients were worse than those values that were obtained from the general population.