The impact of periodontal treatment on quality of life of patients with metabolic syndrome: an interim analysis of a randomized clinical trial

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of periodontal treatment in quality of life of patients with Metabolic Syndrome, in a sample of 48 patients. The patients showed diagnosis of Periodontitis and Metabolic Syndrome and were randomized for two treatment groups: 1) immediate periodontal treatment 2) later treatment, six months after study inclusion. The instruments OHIP-14 and WHOQoL-bref were used to assess oral health related quality of life and general quality of life, respectively. Complete periodontal exams evaluated plaque visible index, gingival bleeding index, plaque retentive factors, probing depth, bleeding on probing and clinical attachment level, on six sites per tooth. Furthermore, antropometrics, blood exams and interview with quality of life measures instruments were performed in baseline and six months after the beginning of the study. Both groups were similar in baseline. After six months, significant reductions on immediate treatment group for all clinical periodontal parameters were observed. The WHOQoL-bref analysis by domains showed no significant small changes, for both groups. After six months, a decrease of 18,6 to 15 (Δ=3,6) for the later treatment group and 15 to 5,7 (Δ=9,3) for the immediate treatment group was observed in the evaluation of OHIP-14 for total scores, with statistical significant differences between the groups (p=0,003). These differences resulted in an effect size of 0,27 (small) for the later treatment group and 0,78 (moderate) for the immediate treatment group...