Impact of Extroversion on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Prosthodontic Patients

Background: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is a compound model comprising individualized evaluation of one’s emotional, functional and oral health. It is easily influenced by multiple variables including oral problems, cultural differences and personality traits. Where other personality traits negatively influence OHRQoL, extroversion exhibits a positive association. Contrarily, conflicting results have been reported in literature. The inconsistent results, insufficient local data and cultural differences make it imperative to further investigate. The objective of the study was to determine a correlation between extroversion and OHRQoL in prosthodontic patients. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Prosthodontics Department of Islamic International Dental Hospital, Islamabad from May 2018 to April 2019. Sample size was calculated to be 270 with 5% significance level and Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.17. However, 305 patients were included in this study. After obtaining informed consent and recording demographic data, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised Short-scale (EPQ-RS) were used to collect the required data and categorize patients. Results: The bivariate correlation analysis revealed extroversion to be negatively associated (r = -0.220) with OHIP score. It depicts that the more extrovert an individual, the lower the OHIP score (better OHRQoL) and vice versa. Effect modifier analysis revealed inconsistent correlation results for extroversion. Conclusion: A positive correlation has been established between Extroversion and OHRQoL, with inconsistent results after controlling effect modifiers.