Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Background: Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a devastating mucocutaneous inherited disorder that can have a remarkable impact on the oral cavity. Objective: To understand the relationships between oral health-related quality of life and general quality of life in DEB patients versus a control group. Methods: Twenty-eight DEB patients and 26 healthy individuals completed the following battery of scales: Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49), RAND Short Form-36 (SF-36), Hamilton Rating Scale for anxiety (HAM-A) and depression (HAM-D). Results: All 7 dimensions in OHIP-49 demonstrated significant difference in functional limitations (Median:13.0; IQR:10.3-20.0 vs Median:7.0; IQR:2.0-9.0; p 0.05). Conclusions: The oral health-related quality of life is highly impaired in patients with DEB. General quality of life was affected only for some dimensions and was not correlated with oral health-related quality of life.