title: Impact of dental health on children's oral health-related quality of life: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the impact of children's dental health status (DHS) on their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 11- and 12-year-old children attending public schools in the Kuwait Capital Region. Children's DHS was evaluated by clinical examinations and presented using decayed, missed, filled teeth/surface (DMFT/dmft, DMFS/dmfs); restorative (RI), plaque (PI); and pulp, ulcers, fistula, abscess (PUFA) indices. Children's OHRQoL was assessed using Child's Perception Questionnaire 11-14 (CPQ11-14). Means (SD) and frequencies were used for data description. Different factors were analyzed as predictors of OHRQoL by logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 440 children aged 11-12 years (50.7 % females) participated in this cross-sectional study. Mean (SD) DMFT/dmft, RI, PI, and PUFA scores were 2.91(2.75), 0.21 (0.34), 3.59 (1.63), 0.31 (0.85), respectively. The mean total CPQ11-14 was 20.72 (16.81). Mean scores of oral-symptoms, functional-limitations, emotional and social well-being were 4.26 (3.32), 5.40 (4.92), 5.48 (6.15), and 5.33 (6.05), respectively. Children with more than four fillings were 95 % less likely to have had oral symptoms than those with no fillings. Children with a DMFT/dmft of 2-3 were 2.8 times more likely to have functional limitation than those with a DMFT/dmft of 0, while children with a DMFT/dmft of more than 4 were 4.4 times more likely to experience limitations. Having two or three non-cavitated lesions reduced the odds of having functional-limitation by 58 %. Children with more than four missing teeth were 45 % more likely to experience emotional stress. Having more than four fissure sealants reduced the odds of having emotional stress by 46 %.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase in the number of carious teeth was associated with a limitation in oral functions. Preventive treatment had a positive impact on children's emotional well-being and restorative treatments improved their oral function.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. alsumait@ualberta.ca.|National School Oral Health Program, Ministry of Health, Kuwait City, Kuwait. alsumait@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Aishah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alsumait
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: ElSalhy
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raine
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cor
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gokiert
authors.affiliation: National School Oral Health Program, Ministry of Health, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Sabiha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Mutawa
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amin
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000067576:Child Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*