Patient-reported outcome measures after periodontal surgery

• Published in: Clinical oral investigations Vol. 27; no. 12; pp. 7715 - 7724
• Main Authors: Mounssif, Ilham, Bentivogli, Valentina, Rendón, Alexandra, Gissi, Davide B., Maiani, Francesco, Mazzotti, Claudio, Mele, Monica, Sangiorgi, Matteo, Zucchelli, Giovanni, Stefanini, Martina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Clinical outcomes; Dentistry; Maxillofacial surgery; Medicine; Morbidity; Oral hygiene; Pain; Patients; Periodontics; Postoperative period; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Speech perception; Surgical outcomes; Periodontal surgery; OHIP-14; Questionnaire; Postoperative morbidity; OHIP; VAS; PROMS
• ISSN: 1436-3771; 1432-6981; 1436-3771
• DOI: 10.1007/s00784-023-05362-y

Objectives The present study aimed to explore the impact of different periodontal surgical treatments on the quality of life and postoperative morbidity. Materials and methods The present study is a single-center, prospective, observational cohort trial. One hundred fifty-five patients, referred to the Periodontal Department of Bologna University who needed periodontal surgical treatment, were recruited. The self-reported perception of the postoperative course was assessed using the following anonymous questionnaires: Italian oral health impact profile (I-OHIP-14), visual analog scale (VAS) to evaluate the intensity of the pain, and 5-point Likert scale. Results Patients reported a mean OHIP-14 total score of 9.87±8.5 (range 0–42), significantly influenced by the female sex, flap extension, and periodontal dressing. A mean VAS score of 2.96±2.39 (range 0–9) was calculated, and was found to be influenced by the presence of vertical releasing incisions and palatal flap extension. Of the 155 subjects, 40 (25.8%) patients reported bleeding as a post-surgical complication, 96 (61.9%) swelling, 105 (67.7%) eating discomfort, and 44 (28.4%) reported speech discomfort. Conclusions Within the limitations of the nature of the present study, periodontal surgical procedures have a low impact on patients’ quality of life evaluated through the OHIP-14 and VAS pain questionnaires. Clinical relevance Periodontal surgical procedures are safe procedures, with a limited duration of postoperative discomfort as well as the incidence of complications.