Impact of the national program More Smiles for Chile on women's quality of life.

Ortuño Borroto, D R; Ahumada Salinas, A; Vargas Buratovic, J P; Carrasco Mococain, C; Moreno Ferrer, A; Prado Vera, S

More Smiles for Chile (MSCH) is a national program that helps women to access comprehensive dental care. OBJECTIVE To assess the changes in oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of women attending the MSCH program. METHODS Uncontrolled cohort study including all women registered in the National Health Fund (FONASA), who were at least 20 years old and received dental treatment in the MSCH program during 2016 or 2017 and completed OHIP-7 pre and post treatment. The median was used to describe central tendency and interquartile range to evaluate dispersion. RESULTS The study included 11782 women in 2016 and 16533 in 2017. The median OHIP-7 scores pre and post treatment were 8 and 6 respectively. Reductions were significant (p⟨0.001) for the total score and OHIP-7 dimensions, especially physical pain, physiological discomfort and psychological disability. CONCLUSION The OHRQoL of women improved after treatment in the Chilean MSCH program.