Resumo

HERNANDEZ-MEJIA, Radhamés; CALDERON-GARCIA, Rocío; FERNANDEZ-LOPEZ, Juan Antonio  e  CUETO-ESPINAR, Antonio. Scale to measure quality of life in edentulous patients rehabilitated with full tissue-supported prostheses. RCOE [online]. 2006, vol.11, n.2, pp.181-191. ISSN 1138-123X.

Introduction: The objective of the present article is to evaluate the utility of a specific scale in the measurement of the physical well-being in edentulous patients. This scale has been integrated in a modular generic questionnaire to measure the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL).  Patient and Methods: The scale was applied in combination with "Quality of Life Profile in the Chronically Ill (PLC)" questionnaire. In a longitudinal study, a follow-up of fifty edentulous patients treated with full dentures in the Dental Clinics of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, was performed. HRQL was measured three times: upon beginning of the treatment, after eight weeks and after six months.  Results: The mean reliability of the questionnaire was 0.74 (Cronbach). The HRQL improved progressively between the first and the third measurement, eventually presenting a higher level of satisfaction with the full dentures prostheses and a better quality of life.  Conclusions: The loss of teeth has a deep impact on the HRQL. A full denture which replaces the missing teeth improves the quality of life of the affected patients substantially. The results demonstrate that the PLC questionnaire with the specific scale is of great utility for the evaluation of the HRQL in the rehabilitation of these patients.

Palavras-chave : Quality of life; Edentulous patient; Full denture.

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