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Impact of untreated dental caries on the daily activities of children
Author(s) -
Souza João Gabriel Silva,
Souza Samilly Evangelista,
Noronha Mayara dos Santos,
Ferreira Efigênia Ferreira e,
Martins Andrea Maria Eleutério de Barros Lima
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12259
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , dentistry , oral health , activities of daily living , cross sectional study , physical therapy , nursing , pathology
Objectives Untreated dental caries can compromise oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). However, it is not clear which specific daily activities related to OHRQoL are compromised by the presence of this problem. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify which specific daily activities are affected by the presence of untreated dental caries using a representative sample of Brazilian children. Methods A cross‐sectional study using a representative sample of Brazilian children (12 years of age) was conducted. The presence of untreated dental caries was assessed using the “decayed – D” component of the DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index. Clinical exams were conducted by trained and calibrated dentists. The daily activities were evaluated using the survey Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP), considering items and domains. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple analyses were conducted (α = 0.05). Results A total of 7,247 children were included, and 39.9 percent had at least one tooth with untreated dental caries, with 33.5 percent experiencing an impact on at least one of the OIDP activities. This study identified a greater chance of the presence of untreated dental caries in children having an impact on the psychological domain ( P = 0.006), as well as on the “difficulty eating” ( P = 0.007), and “difficulty sleeping” ( P = 0.023) items. Conclusion The presence of untreated dental caries among Brazilian children was associated with an impact on specific daily activities (difficulty eating and sleeping) and the psychological domain of OHRQoL.