Self-assessment of oral health, dental health care and oral health-related quality of life among Parkinson's disease patients

Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common condition in elderly people and can adversely affect oral health (OH). However, the subjective burden of oral symptoms on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with PD is largely unknown and needs to be better understood. The objective of this study was to explore self-assessed dental care in patients with PD, including the ability to perform oral hygiene, self-assessed xerostomia, drooling and dysphagia problems, and the impact on OH-related QoL. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was completed by 100 patients with PD in Germany recruited from PD support groups, and included self-assessment of dental care, the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) score, the levodopa equivalent daily dose, the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-II and the leading OH-related symptoms. Results: Participants experienced xerostomia (49%), drooling (70%) and dysphagia (47%) and suffered from a limited ability to perform oral hygiene (29%). The oral symptoms xerostomia, drooling and dysphagia impaired the OH-related QoL [OHIP total score 14.6 (9.7)-16.8 (11.4) compared to 11.3 (9.9) in participants without symptoms]. In total, 91.8% of participants had their own dentist. Only 6.1% of participants with xerostomia received advice regarding management. Conclusion: In this study, patients with PD suffered from OH-related symptoms (xerostomia, drooling, and dysphagia) that impaired their OH-related QoL. Participants felt that they received adequate dental health care; however, dental advice regarding management of PD-related OH problems was often lacking.