Abstract

Patient centered outcomes research means the investigation that leads to clarity about outcomes that matter to patients and how to efficiently achieve those outcomes. In periodontics, symptoms such as redness, bleeding on brushing, loosening of affected teeth and persistent bad breath are highly relevant from the patients point of view and often have a considerable adverse impact on their daily quality of life. Including these parameters in treatment plan and in clinical research will result in better patient compliance and quality of care that matters to the patient.

A range of measures have been developed and validated to evaluate oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) all of which are similar in their ability to detect changes in the physical, functional and psychosocial impacts of oral disorders and hence suitable for use in clinical studies. Healthcare is no longer a disease-centric process. Modern healthcare is patient centric, where patients (and their families) are active participants in care.

Keywords: Oral health related quality of life; Patient-centered outcome; Clinical outcome assessment; True end points