Self-reported illness perception and oral health-related quality of life predict adherence to initial periodontal treatment

Aim: To investigate the impact of periodontal disease perception and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), towards the initial periodontal treatment adherence (IPTA). Material and Methods: This prospective study included 571 patients (274 males and 297 females, mean age 63.1 ± 14.5) with periodontal disease, from the Study of Periodontal Health in Almada-Seixal (SoPHiAS). We assessed the potential connections, between sociodemographic characteristics, oral hygiene behaviours, periodontal measures, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), through a structural equation modelling (SEM). Multivariate logistic regression assessed significant oral health-related variables towards IPTA. Results: Overall, 265 participants had IPTA (46.4%). The SEM had a good fit to the data on all six latent variables (χ² = 2.221, CFI = 0.921, RMSEA = 0.0.046). Multivariate analysis for IPTA indicated Treatment Control (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.07) and Identity domains of Brief-IPQ (OR = 1.10) and Functional Limitation domain of OHIP-14 (OR = 1.60) as significant predictors. The obtained tool had a satisfactory prediction of IPTA (61.1%). Conclusions: Initial periodontal treatment adherence is influenced by patient's perception on periodontal disease treatment and identity domains and by functional impact domain of OHRQoL. Future studies shall investigate the effect of modelling these domains on therapeutic success and public health strategies.