We used the short-form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) to assess the impact of periodontal diseases on the quality of life of Jordanian adults. A systematic random sample of 400 individuals was selected from patients referred to the periodontics clinic at the Dental Teaching Center in Irbid, Jordan. Those willing to participate were examined by specifically trained dentists and requested to complete the Arabic short-form version of the OHIP-14 questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of differences in OHIP-14 subscales among the periodontal disease groups was conducted using the general linear model multivariate procedure. This study included 400 adults (164 men and 236 women) aged between 18 and 60 years, with a mean (SD) of 36.7 (11.9) years. Of the 400 participants, 41.8% had chronic gingivitis, 19.8% had mild periodontitis, 23.3% had moderate periodontitis, and 15.3% had severe periodontitis. “Fairly often” or “very often” was reported for one or more items of the OHIP-14 by fewer than one-third of patients with gingivitis (32.9%) or mild periodontitis (31.6%), by about one-half of patients with moderate periodontitis (53.8%), and by about two-thirds of those with severe periodontitis (63.9%). There was a statistically significant association between the severity of periodontal disease and OHIP-14 scores (P < 0.05). Severe chronic periodontitis had a significantly greater impact on quality of life, specifically with regard to physical pain and physical disability (P < 0.05). Physical pain and physical disability were the dimensions most affected, and all OHIP-14 scores were significantly associated with severity of periodontal disease after adjusting for common confounders. (J Oral Sci 54, 113-120, 2012)