Oral health-related quality of life and oral hygiene practice of adults with fixed dental prostheses in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: Missing teeth are routinely replaced with fixed dental prostheses (FDPs); thus, knowing the patient's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) after placement of FDP and factors affecting their quality of life in addition to their oral hygiene practices is important. This study aimed to measure OHRQoL with FDPs and oral hygiene practices of adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A survey was distributed in hard and soft copy forms. Target subjects were adults older than 18 years with FDP and living in Riyadh. The questionnaire contained four domains: demographic data, medical history, characteristics of the prostheses and oral hygiene practices, and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14 questionnaire, which measures OHRQoL. Results: The study included 528 subjects. More than half of the participants (56.6%) had poor OHRQoL, which was associated with female gender, full-time employment, and low income. The presence of toothache, periodontal diseases, oral abscess, and broken teeth were all associated with poor OHRQoL. Participants with diabetes were also found to have poor OHRQoL. As for oral hygiene practices, 47% of subjects did not receive oral hygiene instructions after the placement of their FDP. It was also found that 53.4% of the study population brush only once daily. Conclusion: Many factors can have an influence on OHRQoL. Both dentist and patient awareness regarding postoperative oral hygiene instructions should be increased to ensure the durability of the prosthodontic appliances and improve patients' OHRQoL.