Impact of tooth wear on quality of life of patients attending a tertiary hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

Tooth wear is listed as one of the main oral health problems which affects a major part of the population. It may affect the physical, mental and social well-being of an individual, thereby impacting on the general health and quality of life. This study aimed to determine the impact of tooth wear on quality of life of patients attending a tertiary hospital in Lagos. Methods: 239 consecutive subjects with tooth wear who attended the Dental Centre of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Ikeja, Lagos within a period of 3months were recruited. Informed consent was obtained, and an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemography, diet history and tooth brushing techniques. All subjects also completed the oral health impact profile 14 (OHI-14) questionnaire. Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index was used to assess tooth wear. The association between tooth wear and OHI-14 was determined. Results: The age range was 18years to 80years with a mean of 56.21±14.3 years. A higher proportion of tooth wear was seen in males (52.3%). The most common BEWE index score was medium, 9-13 (130; 54.4%), followed by high, 14 and above (59; 24.7%) and the least was low, 3-8 (50; 20.9%). The physical pain domain had the highest mean score of 3.11±24 while social disability domain had the least which was 0.8±1.2 Conclusion: The most affected domain was physical pain followed by psychological discomfort and physical disability while the least affected domain was social disability.