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Impact of untreated dental caries severity on the quality of life of preschool children and their families: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Purpose

Untreated dental caries is a persistent oral problem among preschool children. Although there is vast evidence regarding the impact of dental caries on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in this age group, evidence on the impact of untreated caries severity is scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of untreated caries severity on the OHRQoL of preschool children and their families.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 563 individuals in the city of Goiania, Brazil. Data were collected through interviews with parents/caregivers and clinical examinations of their children. The OHRQoL was measured by the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale. Untreated dental caries severity was assessed using validated indices. Other independent variables were socioeconomic, toothache prevalence, and the questionnaire respondent. Statistical analysis involved bivariate comparisons and Poisson regression analyses.

Results

A higher prevalence of impact on OHRQoL was found among preschool children with untreated dental caries with clinical consequences (PR 1.31; 95% CI 1.01–1.70) compared to those without caries; those aged 5 years (PR 1.47; 95% CI 1.18–1.82), compared to those aged two; and those with a toothache (PR 1.54; 95% CI 1.34–1.76), compared to those without toothache. Moreover, fathers (PR 0.71; 95% CI 0.55–0.92) and other respondents (PR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52–0.96) perceived less impact on the OHRQoL in comparison to mothers.

Conclusions

Severe untreated dental caries with clinical consequences had a negative impact on the children’s OHRQoL, regardless of toothache and socioeconomic factors.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the following Brazilian Fostering Agency: State of Goias Research Foundation (FAPEG).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dentistry Graduate Program, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Av. Universitária Esquina com 1ª Avenida s/n, Setor Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-220, Brazil

    Patrícia Corrêa-Faria, Anelise Daher, Maria do Carmo Matias Freire & Luciane Rezende Costa

  2. Department of Oral Health, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74605-220, Brazil

    Maria do Carmo Matias Freire

  3. Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães de Abreu & Luciane Rezende Costa

  4. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marcelo Bönecker

Authors
  1. Patrícia Corrêa-Faria
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  2. Anelise Daher
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  3. Maria do Carmo Matias Freire
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  4. Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães de Abreu
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  5. Marcelo Bönecker
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  6. Luciane Rezende Costa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrícia Corrêa-Faria.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Corrêa-Faria, P., Daher, A., Freire, M.d.C.M. et al. Impact of untreated dental caries severity on the quality of life of preschool children and their families: a cross-sectional study. Qual Life Res 27, 3191–3198 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1966-5

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