Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the
general and oral health status of patients at a dental
hospital in Tokyo and examine the correlations
between general health and oral health items.
One hundred and seventy-four (174) new
patients at the Dental Hospital of Tokyo Medical
and Dental University participated in this study. The
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was employed to investigate
dental demands and symptoms, as well as
satisfaction with oral and general health conditions,
while SF-36 served an indicator for healthrelated
quality of life (HRQOL). The results were
statistically analyzed at a significance level of p =
0.05. The results of VAS were further examined
using factor analysis.
Several VAS items showed significant correlations
with SF-36 subscales (p<0.05). The factor
analysis of VAS items suggested a structure
involving three factors: self-cognition of oral status,
related function and pain, and dental fear and discomfort.
The dental fear and discomfort factor
showed no significant correlations with SF-36
subscales (p>0.05).
Emotional elements and esthetic demands on
dental status, as well as physical symptoms,
influence HRQOL. Dental discomfort proved to be
independent of general health status and was
considered a dental-specific item that needs to be
measured separately from general health status.
