title: Oral mucosal lesions' impact on oral health-related quality of life in preschool children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and their impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children aged 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 1118 children from Pelotas' birth cohort, born in 2004 (response rate of 85.8%), were selected to participate in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire applied to mothers and from the oral examinations of the children. OML were identified by type, site, and size. Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) was used to assess caregivers' perception on children's OHRQoL. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate Poisson regression analyses were carried out, considering the impact on OHRQoL (total ECOHIS score) as the outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of the OML was 30.1% (95% CI 27.5-32.9). Ulcers were the more prevalent type of lesion (29.4%), and the most affected site was the gums (31.0%). In bivariate analysis, there was a positive association between the presence of OML and OHRQoL impact measured by the following: mean overall score of ECOHIS (P < 0.001); extent (P < 0.001); prevalence (P = 0.030); and intensity (P = 0.010). After adjustments for sociodemographic and oral health variables, children with OML presented higher impact on OHRQoL [rate ratio (RR) 1.38 95% CI 1.11; 1.72] comparing with their counterparts. Analyzing specific domains, children with OML also presented higher impact on children symptoms (RR 1.46 95% CI 1.20; 1.66) and family functional (RR 3.14 95% CI 1.59; 6.22) domains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost one-third of children presented with oral mucosal lesions, and these lesions impaired children's oral health-related quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Dentistry of Federal University of Pelotas (PPGO-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luísa Jardim Corrêa
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Dentistry of Federal University of Pelotas (PPGO-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dione Dias
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Torriani
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Dentistry of Federal University of Pelotas (PPGO-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.|Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas (PPGE-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Britto
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Marco Aurélio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen Glazer
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas (PPGE-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.|Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matijasevich
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas (PPGE-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Iná da Silva
authors.initials: Ida S
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas (PPGE-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aluisio J D
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Dentistry of Federal University of Pelotas (PPGO-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.|Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas (PPGE-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávio Fernando
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Demarco
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Dentistry of Federal University of Pelotas (PPGO-UFPel), Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandra Beatriz Chaves
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Tarquinio
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: health surveys; mouth mucosa; oral health; preschool children; quality of life