Relationship between the SF-36 questionnaire and patient's satisfaction following halitosis therapy

To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients complaining of halitosis at their first visit and at a later time when their complaint had diminished following therapy, using a self-administered questionnaire, the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between HRQOL of patients before and after self-reported disappearance of their complaint following oral hygiene improvements for halitosis.

Seventy patients of our special clinic for halitosis served as subjects. At the first visit, each completed the SF-36 before determination of volatile sulfur compound (VSC) concentration in mouth air. After excluding dropouts, the same measurements were performed for subjects whose self-reported complaint had disappeared following oral hygiene therapy.

At the initial visit, SF-36 scale scores for general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotion, and mental health were significantly lower when compared with the national averages in Japan. For subjects with self-reported disappearance of complaint, only social functioning rose significantly among SF-36 scores at the end of the study. These results suggest that an awareness of improvement in social life could be related to patient's satisfaction with halitosis oral hygiene therapy.