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Oral health‐related quality of life among an A ustralian sample of people who inject drugs
Author(s) -
Truong Arthur,
Higgs Peter,
Cogger Shelley,
Jamieson Lisa,
Burns Lucinda,
Dietze Paul
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12092
Subject(s) - medicine , demography , odds ratio , quality of life (healthcare) , oral health , multivariate analysis , incidence (geometry) , population , gerontology , environmental health , family medicine , physics , nursing , sociology , optics
Objectives People who inject drugs ( PWID ) have poor oral health. However, their oral health‐related quality of life ( OHRQoL ) is unknown. Our study was designed to measure the OHRQoL of PWID . Methods The Oral Health Impact Profile‐14 ( OHIP ‐14) was administered to 794 PWID recruited in A ustralian capital cities as part of the 2013 I llicit D rug R eporting S ystem ( IDRS ). Three OHIP ‐14 summary indicators were examined: “Prevalence” (proportion reporting ≥1 item at least “fairly often”), “severity” (mean total OHIP ‐14 score), and “extent” (number of impacts reported at least “fairly often”). Associations between “prevalence” and “extent” and variables drawn from the health, drug use, and social domains were investigated. Results All OHIP ‐14 summary indicators among IDRS participants were significantly higher than in the general A ustralian population. In multivariate analysis, the “prevalence” indicator was significantly and positively associated with female gender [adjusted odds ratio ( AOR ) = 1.75, 95% CI 1.27‐2.38], those born in A ustralia ( AOR = 2, 95% CI 1.25‐3.23), not completing Year 10 compared with those who had completed Year 12 or a higher qualification ( AOR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.03‐2.44), and methadone treatment ( AOR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.14‐2.29). The “extent” indicator was significantly and positively associated with female gender [adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR) = 1.56, 95% CI 1.19‐2.08], unemployment ( AIRR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.01‐2.44), and having an injecting career of 10‐20 years ( AIRR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.03‐3.01). Conclusions PWID have poorer OHRQoL than the A ustralian general population. Poor OHRQoL was particularly common in female PWID and those with longer injecting careers. Interventions to improve the oral health of PWID may improve their OHRQoL .