Periodontitis and quality of life in adults with cystic fibrosis - A pilot cross-sectional study

Background: Attributes of cystic fibrosis (CF) can increase one’s risk of developing periodontitis, and both CF and periodontitis are known to impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In this hypothesis-generating pilot study, our goals were to assess if periodontitis is associated with lower HRQoL for adults with CF and to identify sociodemographic, medical, and dental factors associated with HRQoL.

Methods: We conducted a pilot cross-sectional study of adults with CF ages ≥18 years at a single CF center (N = 32). HRQoL was assessed in two ways: (1) Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) based on the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14); and (2) CF-related quality of life (CFRQoL) based on the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R). We used the Mann-Whitney test to assess for differences in median scores of OHIP-14 and CFQ-R domains by periodontitis status. We used the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Spearman rank correlation to identify factors associated with HRQoL.

Results: The median age of participants was 30 years, 63% were female, and 97% were white. Median OHIP-14 and CFQ-R domain scores did not differ significantly by periodontitis status. There were no significant differences in the OHIP-14 or CFQ-R domain scores for adults with CF by periodontitis severity. Low socioeconomic status (SES), anxiety, and depression were associated with significantly worse domain scores for both HRQoL measures.

Conclusions: Periodontitis in adults with CF was not associated with HRQoL, but markers of low SES and poor mental health were associated with lower HRQoL, including OHRQoL. These findings are preliminary and should be interpreted within the context of this study population comprised of higher-income adults with CF. Future studies should further examine potential disparities in HRQoL for a more socioeconomically diverse individuals with CF.