title: Prevalence of dental caries and its impact on quality of life (QoL) among HIV-infected children in Kenya.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of dental caries and its impact on QoL among HIV-infected children in Kenya.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey of HIV-positive children aged 3-15 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and twenty participants were selected by consecutive sampling. Dental examination was undertaken to determine the presence of dental caries among the children using the dmft/DMFT indices. The children's perceived QoL in the domains of oral symptoms, functional limitations, emotional and social wellbeing was assessed using the WHO Simplified Oral Health Questionnaires for children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of dental caries was 65% whence the prevalence in the deciduous dentition was 50% while that of the permanent dentition was 30.9%. The mean dmft and DMFTscores were 1.75 and 1.08 respectively. Children with high dmft manifested negative impacts on appearance, chewing, biting hard foods and missing school on account of toothache and discomfort, while in the permanent dentition children with high DMFT had a negative impact on biting hard foods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high caries experience had significant negative impacts on the children's QoL, especially in the primary dentition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi. ati_masiga@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mary Atieno
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Masiga
authors.affiliation: UNITID.
authors.forename: James Machoki
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: M'Imunya
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous; D014098:Toothache / Q000209:etiology