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Factors influencing adolescents' oral health‐related quality of life ( OHRQ o L )
Author(s) -
Foster Page Lyndie A.,
Thomson W. Murray,
Ukra Ali,
Farella Mauro
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of paediatric dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.183
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1365-263X
pISSN - 0960-7439
DOI - 10.1111/ipd.12011
Subject(s) - psychosocial , medicine , clinical psychology , quality of life (healthcare) , ethnic group , demography , psychiatry , nursing , sociology , anthropology
Background OHRQ oL comprises an apparently complex array of biological and psychological aspects of oral health. Aim To determine the relative contribution of sociodemographic, psychosocial, or clinical characteristics to OHRQ o L in adolescents. Design A cross‐sectional study of D unedin adolescents was carried out. Each participant completed a self‐administered questionnaire and underwent a clinical examination. Information collected included sociodemographic characteristics (sex, ethnicity, and household deprivation), psychosocial characteristics (self‐esteem, psychological well‐being, somatisation, and self‐perception scores for body image), and clinical measures ( DMFS and D ental A esthetic I ndex). OHRQ o L was measured using the 16‐item impact short‐form CPQ 11–14 questionnaire. Linear regression analyses used the CPQ 11–14 as the dependent variable, with independent variables entered in related groups. Results Three hundred and fifty‐three children (48.4% females) took part, representing a 58.8% response rate. Linear regression modelling of the CPQ 11–14 score showed that sociodemographic characteristics were predictors, but the model's overall explanatory power was low ( R 2 = 0.05). This increased slightly with inclusion of the clinical variables. When the psychosocial variables were added, however, the R 2 increased to 0.50; all psychosocial variables (except self‐esteem) were strongly associated with the CPQ 11–14 score. Psychological well‐being was the strongest predictor. Conclusion Psychosocial characteristics are important contributors to OHRQ o L in adolescents and appear to be more important than sociodemographic or clinical characteristics.