Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to verify the association between dental pain and severity of dental caries (caries morbidity stages) and the impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in preschool children.
Methods
A cross-sectional study with 199 children (2–5 years old) enrolled at preschools in Capão do Leão-RS, Brazil. The self-report of mothers of children with a history of dental pain in the last 6 months and perception of their child’s OHRQoL (ECOHIS) were obtained through a structured questionnaire. This questionnaire also collected independent variables. Children’s oral examination was performed using the CAST instrument to determine caries morbidity stage. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression analysis was performed.
Results
The prevalence of dental pain was 14.57%. The chance of the occurrence of dental pain was higher among children diagnosed in morbidity [Prevalence ratio—PR: 5.29 (95% confidence interval—95% CI 1.91–14.61); p = 0.001] and severe morbidity [RP = 6.12 (95 CI% 2.25–16.64); p < 0.001] stages. Children with dental pain presented higher scores in the total ECOHIS [rate ratio = 7.11 (95% CI 4.55–11.09); p < 0.001] and in all of the domains of this instrument. Furthermore, children with a history of dental trauma [PR = 2.41 (95% CI 1.15–5.04); p < 0.001] and those whose reason for last visit to the dental office was for restorative/endodontic/extraction treatment [PR = 1.29 (95% CI 1.01–6.19); p = 0.049] had a higher prevalence of dental pain.
Conclusion
A substantial prevalence of dental pain in the last 6 months and negative impact on children’s OHRQoL was identified in this sample. Children diagnosed with carious dentin lesions and abscess and fistula were more likely to have dental pain.
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Data availability
Datasets related to this article will be available upon request to the corresponding author (marilia.goettems@gmail.com).
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Funding
This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001/2018.
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Matheus dos Santos Fernandez, Ana Beatriz Gonçalves Araújo and Giulia Tarquino Demarco: formal analysis, data curation, writing—original draft. Laís Anschau Pauli and Marília Leão Goettems: conceptualisation, project administration, writing—review and editing, visualisation. Vanessa Polina Pereira da Costa and Marina Souza Azevedo: conceptualisation, project administration, data curation. All the authors reviewed the final version of the manuscript.
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S. Fernandez, M., Pauli, L.A., Araújo, A.B.G. et al. Dental pain in Brazilian preschool children: association with the severity of dental caries and impact on oral health-related quality of life. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-024-00906-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-024-00906-6