The Assessment of Quality of Life Using GOHAI among Edentulous Patients

Introduction: Edentulism may compromise the quality of life (QoL) of a patient. Geriatric patients who are satisfied with their complete dentures are usually satisfied with their daily life. This research was conducted to assess quality of life using Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) focusing on functional limitation, oro-facial pain, psychological impact and behavioural impact among edentulous patient attending USIM Polyclinic. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two geriatric edentulous patient to be treated by third year students in polyclinic USIM were recruited. Patient completed the Malay version of GOHAI questionnaire. Result: The data showed there were 62.5% male and 37.5% female. The mean age was 63.88 ± 5.621 year. 87.5% of the samples are wearing complete denture and 56.3% of them have been wearing denture for the past five years. The lowest mean score was 1.66 ( ± 1.6) for trouble in biting and chewing. The highest mean for GOHAI was in medication used to relieve pain with the mean score of 4.56 ( ± 0.8). Conclusion: The QoL of geriatric patient was mostly affected by the oral function. However the least affected was seen in pain and discomfort. Despite wearing complete denture, denture replacement is essential to improve QoL.