title: Impact of early childhood caries on the oral health-related quality of life of preschool children and their parents.
abstract: The aim of the present population study was to evaluate the impact of early childhood caries (ECC) on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of preschool children and their parents/caregivers. A random sample of 638 children (aged 2-5 years) underwent a clinical oral examination to assess ECC, and their parents were invited to answer two questionnaires: one on the OHRQoL of the child, the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale, and another on the characteristics and sociodemographic conditions of the child. Descriptive analysis, χ(2) test, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and hierarchically adjusted Poisson regression models were used. The prevalence of ECC was 52.2%. The number of teeth with decay ranged from 1 (n = 42; 6.6%) to 20 (n = 5; 0.8%), averaging 2.86 (SD = 4.04). There was a significant difference between the severity of ECC and OHRQoL in terms of the impact on both child and family (p < 0.001). An increase in the severity of ECC resulted in an increased negative impact on the quality of life of the child (rate ratio, RR = 5.32; 95% confidence interval, CI: 3.67-7.71). Greater age of the mother had a positive impact on the OHRQoL of preschool children (RR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.54-0.97). Increased age resulted in an increased negative impact on the quality of life of the child (RR = 2.97; 95% CI: 1.61-5.47). ECC has a negative impact on the OHRQoL of children aged 2-5 years and their parents. Mothers aged 30 or older reported better OHRQoL, independent of the presence of ECC and the age of the child.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Federal University of Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Brazil.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Martins-Júnior
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Vieira-Andrade
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corrêa-Faria
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oliveira-Ferreira
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ramos-Jorge
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D009909:Oral Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires