OHRQoL
Also written as: OHRQoL — Oral Health-Related Quality of Life
Acronym for Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, a patient-reported construct measuring the impact of oral health on daily functioning and wellbeing.
Full Definition
OHRQoL is the standard abbreviation used in dental and oral health research for Oral Health-Related Quality of Life. It appears frequently in clinical trial outcome sections, systematic reviews, and health policy documents focused on the burden of oral disease. The acronym subsumes a range of validated measurement instruments, and editors must ensure authors specify which tool operationalises the construct in their study. When the acronym appears in an abstract without prior definition, it should be spelled out on first use. Authors sometimes incorrectly shorten this to 'QoL' or 'HRQoL,' which carry different disciplinary meanings and should be flagged as errors.
Usage
Usage note: Must be defined at first use in both the abstract and the body text. Do not substitute 'QoL' or 'HRQoL,' which refer to broader, non-oral-specific constructs.
In Context
- "Improvements in OHRQoL were statistically significant across all three treatment arms at the 12-month endpoint." — Clinical trial abstract
- "Please define OHRQoL at first use in the abstract, as the journal's style guide requires all acronyms to be expanded." — Copy-editor query