Examination of oral health quality of life and patient satisfaction in removable denture wearers with OHIP-14 scale and visual analog scale: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) is a term that encompasses conditions such as oral health status, living conditions, and function. OHQoL can change with the varying health conditions of the same individual. Many patients cannot afford implants or have anatomical limitations and therefore use traditional removable dentures. There are comparatively few studies investigating OHRQoL and denture satisfaction that include the patients' sociodemographic data, denture satisfaction and related questions.

AIM

This study aimed to investigate OHRQoL and patients' satisfaction with three types of dentures: upper and lower complete dentures, upper and lower partial dentures, and upper complete lower partial dentures.

METHODS

The study was conducted between January 2022 and June 2023, with 150 patients using removable dentures. Patients' age, gender, education level, place of residence, smoking status, reasons for tooth loss and visiting the clinic, type of denture and the duration of denture use were recorded. Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and patient satisfaction with dentures as measured on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to assess patients' satisfactions with OHRQoL and dentures respectively. Descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were found between gender, prosthetic type, usage duration and OHIP and VAS scores (p < 0.05). Women's OHIP scores were higher than men's, patients using complete dentures had higher scores than those using partial dentures in both jaws, those using dentures for less than 1 year had higher scores than those that had used them for more than 1 year. The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in OHIP and VAS scores based on age, education level, and place of residence (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients may find it easier to adapt to removable partial dentures compared to complete dentures. Therefore, in prosthetic planning, dentists should prioritize preserving existing teeth. Regardless of the type of prosthesis, patients adapt to their prostheses over time, leading to increased satisfaction with prolonged use. Since individuals do not have a habit of visiting the dentist when there is no known problem, dentists should encourage patients to attend regular dental check-ups.

The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Vasomotor Symptoms and Sleep Quality in Menopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This experimental study aimed to determine the effects of online laughter yoga on the sleep quality and vasomotor symptoms (VMS) of menopausal women through a prospective, randomized controlled trial. About 36 women who attend the Menopause School were randomized into either the laughter yoga (n = 18) or the control group (n = 18). The laughter yoga group participated in eight online laughter yoga sessions, with two sessions per week for four weeks, whereas the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The laughter yoga group had significantly lower posttest VAS scores compared with the control group in all VMS (P < .05). Furthermore, the posttest PSQI score of the laughter yoga group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < .05). Although there was no significant difference in the pretest and posttest scores obtained by the control group from the VAS and PSQI (P > .05), the intervention group exhibited a statistically significant difference in their pretest and posttest VAS and PSQI scores (P < .05; P < .001, respectively). The results indicate that laughter yoga is an effective method for reducing VMS and improving sleep quality.

Relationship Between Menopausal Symptoms, Cancer Screening Behaviors, and Religion Attitudes of Women in the Climacteric Period: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Although it is known that religion is used to cope with health problems, there is a lack of information about the effect of religion on menopausal symptoms and cancer screening attitudes of climacteric women.

AIM

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the religious attitudes of women in the climacteric period and their attitudes toward menopausal symptoms and cancer screening.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 381 women in the climacteric period in the Central Anatolia region of Türkiye. Data collection form, the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), OK-Religious Attitude Scale (ORAS), and attitude for cancer screening (short form) (ASCS) were used to collect data. Correlation analysis assessed the relationship between MRS, ORAS, and ASCS.

RESULTS

There was a low positive correlation between women's ORAS mean score (35.19 ± 4.80) and MRS mean score (12.68 ± 7.24) (r = 0.284, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant relationship between the mean ORAS scores of the women and the mean ASCS scores (64.59 ± 10.47) (r = 0.089, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Women who experienced more severe menopausal symptoms had stronger religious attitudes. Women's religious attitudes did not affect their attitudes toward cancer screening. It is therefore recommended that health professionals organize counseling and training activities to protect and improve the health of menopausal women and increase their participation in screening and treatment programs.

The effect of exercise training based on the health promotion model on menopausal symptoms

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to determine the effect of exercise training provided based on the health promotion model on menopausal symptoms.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The sample size was identified as 156 women. The women who were given exercise training applied a 30-min daily exercise program for 12 weeks, while those in the control group were not trained and did not exercise.

FINDINGS

The difference between the mean scores of the groups was statistically significant (p = 0.000).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Exercise training given to women in the experimental group based on a health promotion model reduced menopausal symptoms.

Does social support affect menopausal symptoms in menopausal women?

PURPOSE

To determine the effect of perceived social support of menopausal women on their menopausal complaints.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 505 women. The data were obtained using personal information form, menopause rating scale, and multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Frequency, percentage, t test, analysis of variance Skewness and Kurtosis (±1) and correlation were used in the analysis of the data.

FINDINGS

In the study, it was found that there was a positive and significant relationship between menopausal symptoms and social support, and menopausal symptoms decreased as social support increased.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nurses should provide consultancy for women to increase their social support systems to decrease their menopausal complaints.