title: Quality of life related to oral health: contribution from social factors.
abstract: Sociodental indicators have been widely used in epidemiological research related to oral health, as they add the dimension of the impact of oral health on the quality of life of individuals and populations. Various studies have been done in order to validate new instruments to assess these subjective perceptions, however, the association between social parameters and impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) has not been systematically studied, thus there is still doubt as to the role of the main social variables as OHRQoL impact modulators. This study aims to systematically review the literature in order to evidence the association between six social parameters and OHRQoL. Based on six exclusion criteria, the literature search revealed 40 eligible publications for analyses. The frequency of expected (positive) association between the social parameters and OHRQoL was greater than the non-expected (negative) associations for the six parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The social conditions most clearly associated with the perception of negative impact on OHRQoL were: women, with poor education and low income, immigrants or people belonging to minority ethnic groups.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, AM 69025-050. flaviacohen@ufam.edu.br
authors.forename: Flávia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cohen-Carneiro
authors.forename: Reinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Souza-Santos
authors.forename: Maria Augusta Bessa
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rebelo
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors