Oral Health-Related Quality of Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery

The aim was to examine how individuals treated for obesity with gastric bypass (GBP) surgery perceived their oral health and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

All individuals in one Swedish region who had undergone GBP surgery (n = 1182) were sent a postal questionnaire 2 years after surgery. The questionnaire comprised items on sociodemographics, oral symptoms and the Oral Health Impact Profile-49 to assess the OHRQoL.

The mean age was 47.6 years with 75% females, response rate 55.3%. The self-perceived oral health was rated low by 45% of the respondents. Gender differences were seen, for instance, regarding hypersensitive teeth (men 18.8%, women 30.8%, p = 0.003). Nine out of ten reported at least one oral impact experienced sometimes, fairly or very often, according to the Oral Health Impact Profile-49 (OHIP-49). The mean additive OHIP-49 score was 30.3 (SD 36.1). The associations between self-reported oral health and OHRQoL were consistent throughout. Tooth hypersensitivity generated an OR of 2.28 (95% CI 2.28-8.46) of having ≥ 2 impacts on OHRQoL.

A large proportion of individuals having undergone GBP surgery reported problems with their oral health and impacts on their OHRQoL, indicating a need for medical and dental staff-surgeons and general practitioners as well as other health professionals-to offer oral health promotion and prevention measures.