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Impact of untreated dental caries on quality of life of preschool children: different stages and activity
Author(s) -
RamosJorge Joana,
Pordeus Isabela A.,
RamosJorge Maria L.,
Marques Leandro S.,
Paiva Saul M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/cdoe.12086
Subject(s) - medicine , poisson regression , dentistry , socioeconomic status , early childhood caries , mann–whitney u test , population , oral health , environmental health
Objective The aim of the present population‐based cross‐sectional study was to evaluate the association between untreated dental caries, considering stages and activity, and the impact on OHRQ oL among preschool children and their parents/caregivers. Methods A randomly selected sample of 451 Brazilian preschool children aged three to 5 years underwent a clinical oral examination for the assessment of dental caries using the ICDAS II criteria. Parents/caregivers were asked to answer two questionnaires: one on the OHRQ oL of the children ( ECOHIS ) and another on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the children and families. Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics, the chi‐square test, Mann–Whitney test and hierarchically adjusted Poisson regression models. Results The prevalence of early childhood caries was 51.2%. The majority of teeth with caries exhibited severe decay (60.6%). Untreated severe decay, such as active lesions within visible dentin ( P < 0.001), extensive active and inactive cavity without pulp exposure or fistula ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively), extensive cavity with pulp exposure and absence of fistula ( P = 0.003) and root remnant ( P = 0.002), were associated with a negative impact on quality of life. Conclusion Active and inactive untreated severe carious lesions were associated with a negative impact on the quality of life of preschoolers and their parents/caregivers.