Abstract
BackgroundTo assess the impact of children’s dental health status (DHS) on their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).MethodsParticipants were 11- and 12-year-old children attending public schools in the Kuwait Capital Region. Children’s DHS was evaluated by clinical examinations and presented using decayed, missed, filled teeth/surface (DMFT/dmft, DMFS/dmfs); restorative (RI), plaque (PI); and pulp, ulcers, fistula, abscess (PUFA) indices. Children’s OHRQoL was assessed using Child’s Perception Questionnaire 11–14 (CPQ11–14). Means (SD) and frequencies were used for data description. Different factors were analyzed as predictors of OHRQoL by logistic regression analysis.ResultsA total of 440 children aged 11–12 years (50.7 % females) participated in this cross-sectional study. Mean (SD) DMFT/dmft, RI, PI, and PUFA scores were 2.91(2.75), 0.21 (0.34), 3.59 (1.63), 0.31 (0.85), respectively. The mean total CPQ11–14 was 20.72 (16.81). Mean scores of oral-symptoms, functional-limitations, emotional and social well-being were 4.26 (3.32), 5.40 (4.92), 5.48 (6.15), and 5.33 (6.05), respectively. Children with more than four fillings were 95 % less likely to have had oral symptoms than those with no fillings. Children with a DMFT/dmft of 2–3 were 2.8 times more likely to have functional limitation than those with a DMFT/dmft of 0, while children with a DMFT/dmft of more than 4 were 4.4 times more likely to experience limitations. Having two or three non-cavitated lesions reduced the odds of having functional-limitation by 58 %. Children with more than four missing teeth were 45 % more likely to experience emotional stress. Having more than four fissure sealants reduced the odds of having emotional stress by 46 %.ConclusionsThe increase in the number of carious teeth was associated with a limitation in oral functions. Preventive treatment had a positive impact on children’s emotional well-being and restorative treatments improved their oral function.
Highlights
To assess the impact of children’s dental health status (DHS) on their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)
Oral health is a standard of health of oral and oral-related tissues that contributes to general well-being and enables an individual to eat, speak and socialize without active disease, discomfort or
Dental caries was reported to be associated with all components of OHRQoL in a low caries community, where DMFT scores were 1 or less among 12-year-old children [15]
Summary
To assess the impact of children’s dental health status (DHS) on their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The relationships between malocclusion and orofacial deformities (abnormalities in the oral cavity and jaws) and overall OHRQoL, especially in relation to emotional and social well-being domains, are already well-documented [12,13,14]. Social and emotional well-being subscales were less affected by caries in young children because they attach less importance to their social interactions [12]. It is not clear which component of the caries, oral hygiene, caries severity indices have an impact on OHRQoL or has a better predictive value in a population with a high level of dental caries
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