Can quality of life index measure oral health over the years? A systematic review

The referred quality of life has been increasingly used in dental studies to measure the impact that the dental treatment can cause on the individuals. However, there are few studies that monitor longitudinally this condition. Objective: The aim of this study was verify the behavior of the impact of the quality of life of the individuals through a systematic review on observational or interventional longitudinal studies. Literature review: The articles were selected in the period from February 5th to March 15th of 2014, with selection criteria: Objectives of the study, longitudinal studies, assessment of the quality of life of the studied population. The determination of the 24 selected articles was conducted by two examiners and revised together. Results: The study generated five tables related to common areas of dentistry: prosthesis, dental caries, geriatric health, orthodontics and oral oncology. The impact achieved in the quality of life of the people with the treatment was not maintained over the years. Conclusion: The quality of life of the individuals is little influenced by dental treatments over the years, with the exception of the cases of prosthesis and severe orthodontic treatments. The impact of the quality of life seems to be a measurement of occasional use, preferably carried soon after some oral intervention and not for longitudinal studies in which other factors cannot be controlled.