title: Impact of oral health problems on the quality of life of preschool children: a case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a need for investigations into the impact of oral problems on OHRQoL with study designs that offer greater strength of evidence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of dental caries and traumatic dental injury (TDI) on the OHRQoL of Brazilian preschool children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based, matched, case-control study was conducted involving 415 children aged 3-5 years enrolled at public and private preschools. The case group (impact on OHRQoL) and control group (no impact on OHRQoL) were matched for age, sex, and monthly household income at a 1 : 4 ratio (83 cases and 332 controls). Impact on OHRQoL was assessed using the B-ECOHIS. Dental caries and TDI were determined through clinical oral examinations. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and conditional logistic regression analysis (P ≤ 0.05; 95% CI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent responses on the B-ECOHIS were 'felt pain' (79.7%) and 'difficulty in eating' (35.0%). The following variables were significantly associated with impact on OHRQoL: caries severity (OR = 12.58; 95% CI: 5.31-29.79) and TDI (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.23-3.62).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caries severity and TDI impacted the OHRQoL of preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, State University of Paraiba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ramon Targino
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Firmino
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, State University of Paraiba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Monalisa Cesarino
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, State University of Paraiba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marayza Alves
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Clementino
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carolina Castro
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Saul Martins
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, State University of Paraiba (UEPB), Campina Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Flávia
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Granville-Garcia
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life; D012574:Schools; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology