The aim: The overall aim of this licentiate thesis was to describe and analyze oral health-related quality of life measured with OHIP-14. The thesis comprises two studies, each with a specific aim.   Study I: To describe oral health-related quality of life measured with OHIP-14 in an Swedish adult population Study II: To study the relationship between oral health-related quality of life, measured with OHIP-14, and subjective as well as objective dry mouth conditions in fragile old people. Furthermore, the aim was to study the reliability and validity of a new instrument (VAS) to measure dry mouth   Material and methods: Study I comprised a stratified random sample of 519 individuals 20-80 years of age. In Study II, 41 randomly selected fragile old people, residents at three different community care centers, participated. In both studies, the questionnaire OHIP-14 was used for measurement of oral health-related quality of life. The participants in Study II answered a questionnaire for subjectively experienced dry mouth (VAS). For objective dry mouth measurements, saliva was absorbed into a preweighted cotton roll. Results: In Study I, 21% of the respondents stated that they had no oral problems that had a negative impact on their well-being. In Study II, the corresponding figure was 71%. In study I the mean value for OHIP-14 was 6.4 (SD=7.1) for the entire population; 5.9 (SD=7.1) for men and 6.8 (SD=7.2) for women in. Subjects, who frequently experienced problems related to oral health, with scores ranging from 16 to 41 points, accounted for 10% of the study group. In Study II, significant associations were identified between both objectively measured respective subjectively experienced dry mouth and oral health-related quality of life. The validity of the VAS instrument was good for subjective mouth dryness, but poor for objectively measured dry mouth in fragile old people. Conclusion: From Study I it can be concluded that, in this Swedish population, a number of individuals, both young and old, experience oral problems that have a negative impact on their well-being. From Study II, the conclusion is that dry mouth (both objective and subjective) is significantly associated with poorer oral health-related quality of life, underlining the value of monitoring dry mouth conditions in the care of fraigile old people.

<p><em>The aim:</em> The overall aim of this licentiate thesis was to describe and analyze oral health-related quality of life measured with OHIP-14. The thesis comprises two studies, each with a specific aim.</p><p> </p><p><em>Study I: </em>To describe oral health-related quality of life measured with OHIP-14 in an Swedish adult population</p><p><em>Study II: </em>To study the relationship between oral health-related quality of life, measured with OHIP-14, and subjective as well as objective dry mouth conditions in fragile old people. Furthermore, the aim was to study the reliability and validity of a new instrument (VAS) to measure dry mouth</p><p> </p><p><em>Material and methods: </em>Study I comprised a stratified random sample of 519 individuals 20-80 years of age. In Study II, 41 randomly selected fragile old people, residents at three different community care centers, participated. In both studies, the questionnaire OHIP-14 was used for measurement of oral health-related quality of life. The participants in Study II answered a questionnaire for subjectively experienced dry mouth (VAS). For objective dry mouth measurements, saliva was absorbed into a preweighted cotton roll.</p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>Results:</em> In Study I, 21% of the respondents stated that they had no oral problems that had a negative impact on their well-being. In Study II, the corresponding figure was 71%. In study I the mean value for OHIP-14 was 6.4 (SD=7.1) for the entire population; 5.9 (SD=7.1) for men and 6.8 (SD=7.2) for women in. Subjects, who frequently experienced problems related to oral health, with scores ranging from 16 to 41 points, accounted for 10% of the study group. In Study II, significant associations were identified between both objectively measured respective subjectively experienced dry mouth and oral health-related quality of life. The validity of the VAS instrument was good for subjective mouth dryness, but poor for objectively measured dry mouth in fragile old people.</p><p><em>Conclusion:</em> From Study I it can be concluded that, in this Swedish population, a number of individuals, both young and old, experience oral problems that have a negative impact on their well-being. From Study II, the conclusion is that dry mouth (both objective and subjective) is significantly associated with poorer oral health-related quality of life, underlining the value of monitoring dry mouth conditions in the care of fraigile old people.</p>

Bakgrund: För att halitosis ska tas på större allvar och för att de drabbade individerna ska få rätt sorts stöd är det av stor vikt att identifiera samt uppmärksamma halitosis eventuella effekter på livskvaliteten. Syftet: Syftet med studien var att identifiera och sammanställa kunskap kring halitosis eventuella effekter på upplevd livskvalitet med speciellt avseende på oralhälsorelaterad livskvalitet, social ångest och sociala relationer. Metod:Examensarbetet är en allmän litteraturstudie där systematiska och manuella sökningar användes för att finna artiklar. Resultat: Studiens resultat är baserat på 17 vetenskapliga originalartiklar. Gemensamt visar artiklarna en negativ korrelation mellan halitosis och oralhälsorelaterad livskvalitet, halitosis och social ångest eller halitosis och sociala relationer. Majoriteten av artiklarna visar att individer med halitosis anpassar sina sociala liv efter symptomet. Slutsats: Halitosis kan konstateras vara mer än bara dålig andedräkt. Genom att bland annat ha en negativ påverkan på en individs självförtroende kan halitosis leda till psykisk ohälsa i form av social ångest, försvårade sociala relationer och försämrad oral hälsorelaterad livskvalitet vilket kan påverka livskvaliteten. Det är därför av stor vikt att tandvårdspersonal beaktar den orala hälsan ur ett bredare perspektiv där halitosis kan uppmärksammas. / Background: In order for halitosis to be taken more seriously and for the affected individuals to receive the right kind of support, it is important to identify and pay attention to halitosis's possible effects on the quality of life. Aim:The aim of the study was to identify and compile knowledge about halitosis possible impact on perceived quality of life particulary regarding oral health related quality of life, social anxiety and social relationships. Method: The study was a general literature study where systematic and manual searches, in three different databases, were used to find articles. The selection of articles where made in three steps. Results: The study results is based on 17 scientific original articles. The articles mutually show a negative correlation between halitosis and oral health-related quality of life, halitosis and social anxiety or halitosis and social relationships. Conclusion:By affecting an individual's self- esteem, halitosis can lead to psychological distress in terms of social anxiety, impaired social relationships and impaired oral health related quality of life, which can affect the general quality of life. It is therefore at the utmost importance that dental professionals take oral health into account from a broader perspective where halitosis can be noted.