Abstract
BackgroundChildhood dental caries can affect the children’s and their parents’ oral health-related quality of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of oral and dental health conditions on the oral health-related quality of life in preschool children and their parents.MethodsIn this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, samples were selected from children 3 to 6 years old enrolled in licensed kindergartens using "proportional allocation" sampling. Then, the parents of the children were asked to complete the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS).ResultsIn this study, 350 children aged 3 to 6 years were evaluated with a mean age of 4.73 years. The mean dmft index (decayed, missed, and filled teeth) was 3.94 ± 4.17. The mean score of oral health-related quality of life was 11.88 ± 6.9, which 9.36 ± 5.02 belongs to the impact on children and 2.52 ± 3.20 to parents' impact.ConclusionsThe mean score of ECOHIS increased with the dmft index increase in children, indicating a significant relationship between the dmft and ECOHIS score. These outcomes can be used as proper resources to develop preventive policies and promote oral health in young children.
Highlights
Childhood dental caries can affect the children’s and their parents’ oral health-related quality of life
It is noticeable that a higher percentage (89.85%) of the dmft index was related to the decayed teeth (d) component in this study
The mean dmft index had a significant relationship with ethnicity, child’s age, and parents’ education level (P < 0.05)
Summary
Childhood dental caries can affect the children’s and their parents’ oral health-related quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, the quality of life is defined as “a person’s perceptions of their position in life according to their culture, goals, expectations, standards, and priorities”. It is subjective and not observable by others and is based on the person’s understanding of different aspects of life. Dental caries and dental injuries during childhood may have negatively impact on the oral health-related quality of life of the children and their parents [7,8,9]. Parents play an important role in the oral health status of children and in seeking dental care and tend to express feelings of guilt when their child exhibits oral health problems and/or treatment needs [12]
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