Evaluation of chewing performance and oral health-related quality of life in patients with chronic periodontitis before and after periodontal treatment

Mastication is a mandibular movement that is made by neuromuscular reflexes and is administered by the neuromuscular system to make the nutrients ready for swallowing. When the alveolar bone, teeth, temporomandibular joint, muscles and ligaments and the periodontal ligament are healthy, there is an occlusal harmony in the masticatory system. In the presence of this harmony, all components of the masticatory system can withstand functional stresses and patients' bite and chewing performance is sufficient. It is known that the amount of periodontal area of teeth affects bite force and chewing performance. It has been reported that when a high amount of bite force is applied to teeth that have lost attachment due to periodontitis, pain is felt with the information transmitted from periodontal mechanoreceptors and the jaw is opened due to reflex inhibition and consequently the bite force and chewing performance decrease. In addition, chronic periodontitis can cause different degrees of mobility of the teeth. Mobility has not been shown to reduce chewing performance, but generally a mobile tooth is thought to have a negative effect on chewing. Oral health-related quality of life was developed based on the World Health Organization's structure-function-adequacy-participation model by evaluating the positive and negative effects of oral health on general health, and reveals patients' perceptions related to their oral health. Oral health related quality of life is used in oral health research, clinical research and examination of the results of clinical procedures. It can be evaluated as multidimensional scales that question various symptoms, problems and mental status of patients. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the chewing performance, tooth mobility, and oral health-related quality of life of patients with generalized chronic periodontitis separately and in relation to each other before and after non-surgical and surgical periodontal treatments. The secondary aim is to compare the chewing performance, tooth mobility, and oral health-related quality of life of patients with generalized chronic periodontitis with those of healthy individuals. 40 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis (20 in the test group and 20 in the control group) between the ages of 20 and 45 were included in the study. Chewing performance, mobility, and oral health-related quality of life were evaluated before treatment and four weeks after non-surgical and surgical periodontal treatments. For the chewing performance assessment, patients were asked to chew a small cube made from a silicone impression material, which was then examined using a multiple-sieve device. Mobility measurements were performed using Periotest M® to obtain objective results. Oral health-related quality of life measurements were made using the Turkish version of the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). It was found that non-surgical and surgical treatment for generalized chronic periodontitis improved chewing performance and oral health-related quality of life, but had no short-term effect on mobility. Healthy individuals were observed to have higher chewing performance and oral health-related quality of life, and lower mobility values compared to patients with generalized chronic periodontitis.