Abstract
Background: Confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has made dental treatments impossible in Chile and many other countries, including diabetic patients with periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of periodontal therapy in terms of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cohort of diabetic patients with periodontitis. Material and Methods: Thirty-eight diabetic patients with stage III-IV periodontitis, enrolled for periodontal therapy, were screened. Periodontal clinical parameters including clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing pocket depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) as well as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were evaluated at baseline and 3 months follow-up prior the pandemic. The OHRQoL changes by means of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and a self-reported oral health questionnaire were assessed at baseline (prior pandemic) and during the pandemic via telemonitoring. Results: Thirty-one patients received non-surgical periodontal therapy prior to the pandemic. Out of the 31 patients, four died due to COVID-19 resulting in 27 patients available for telemonitoring at the time of the pandemic. Periodontal therapy significantly improved CAL, PPD and BOP (p < 0.05) but not HbA1c (p > 0.05) between baseline and 3 months follow-up pior to the pandemic. Total OHIP-14 scores significantly improved between baseline and the middle of pandemic (intragroup comparison p = 0.00411). In particular, OHIP-14 scores related to the "Physical pain" (intragroup comparison p = 0.04) and "Psychological disability" (intragroup comparison p = 0.00) significantly improved between baseline and the middle of pandemic. Conclusions: In diabetic type II patients with periodontitis periodontal therapy tends to improve the oral health-related quality of life despite the COVID-19 pandemic.