Cushing et al developed a questionnaire to measure the social impact of dental disease on the patient. The authors are from the London Hospital Medical College and the University College London in England.
|
Impact Category |
Action |
Finding |
Points |
|
functional |
eating |
One or more of the eating problems (below) |
1 |
|
|
|
none |
0 |
|
social interaction |
commu-nication |
One or more of the communication problems (below) |
1 |
|
|
|
none |
0 |
|
comfort and well-being |
pain |
toothache or pain currently or in the previous 12 months |
1 |
|
|
|
none |
0 |
|
|
discomfort |
One or more of the discomfort problems (below) |
1 |
|
|
|
none |
0 |
|
self-image |
aesthetics |
One or more of the aesthetic problems (below) |
1 |
|
|
|
neither |
0 |
Eating problems:
(1) difficulty chewing
(2) difficulty biting hard
(3) difficulty taking a big bite
(4) having to change types of food eaten
Communication problems:
(1) difficulty or restriction in talking
(2) difficulty or restriction in smiling
(3) difficulty or restriction in laughing
(4) difficulty or restriction in kissing
Discomfort problems:
(1) sensitivity to cold
(2) food packing
(3) denture discomfort currently or in the previous 12 months
Aesthetic problems:
(1) dissatisfaction with teeth in relation to other features of appearance
(2) dissatisfaction with appearance of dentures
dental impact score =
= SUM(points for findings present)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 5
• The higher the score the greater the impact of the dental problems.
The score might be more informative if each finding could be graded for severity (from none to severe). This would be better for monitoring the effect of interventions.
