Relationships among dental functional status, clinical dental measures, and generic health measures

Current measures of dental health status are primarily clinical in nature and rely on clinical and radiographic assessment of the patient's dental health. Information about a patient's ability to perform usual activities related to good dental health--for example, chewing, speaking, and smiling--is not routinely collected. This study investigated what measures contribute to dental functional status, how they are related to traditional clinical measures, whether dental factors contribute to other generic measures of health, and the extent to which dental factors contribute to overall quality of life. Regression analyses of interview and clinical data from 159 dental patients show that while periodontal status and the number of dental symptoms do explain some of dental functional status, the clinical measures of decayed, missing, and filled teeth do not. Severity of medical condition is correlated with decayed/missing teeth and periodontal health. Quality of life is explained by medical functional status, perceived medical health, and perceived dental health. The dental functional status index may be useful in clarifying the relationship between dental health and overall health and quality of life measures.