Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of dental caries on the quality of life of preschool children. The population was made up of preschoolers aged 5 years, enrolled in public and private institutions of Teresina, PI, Brazil. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) was applied to children and caregivers, as well as a socioeconomic-demographic questionnaire for those responsible. In the dental examination the ceod index was used to evaluate the caries experience. Of the 566 children examined, 50.2% presented with caries experience. It was observed an association between caries experience and poorer quality of life in the oral health domain in the children’s perception (RR = 0.981, 95% CI = 0.97-0.99) and parents (RR = 0.955, 95% CI = 0, 94-0.97). According to the children’s perception, caries in the posterior teeth was associated with poorer quality of life in the physical capacity domain (RR = 0.985, 95% CI = 0.97-0.99). It was concluded that caries experience had a negative impact on the OHRQoL (oral health-related quality of life) in children’s oral health according to the perception of children and parents. Caries located in molars had a negative impact on HRQoL in the physical ability domain according to the children’s perception.
Keywords
Collective health; Epidemiology; Dental caries