Oral Health Conditions and Quality of Life in Brazilian Adolescents

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between oral health conditions and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in Quilombola adolescents from Macapá, Brazil.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and data from 177 11- to 14-year adolescents were analyzed. Examinations included malocclusion, dental caries and periodontal conditions. The Brazilian version of the CPQ 11-14 was used to measure the adolescents’ OHRQoL. Socioeconomic variables were also collected. Poisson regressions analyses were performed.
Results: The results revealed DMFT of 2.07. Adolescents with severe and very severe malocclusion presented a negative impact on the domain of functional limitations in comparison with children with a less severe condition (RR= 1.43, p=0.001 and RR=1.30, p=0.004, respectively). For the emotional well-being domain, adolescents with access to both public and private dental services (p<0.05), and those with a CPI index corresponding to the calculation + bleeding (RR=1.57, p<0.001), had a negative impact on this domain. In the social well-being domain, adolescents with restoration treatment need had a worse quality of life. Whereas, the presence of severe malocclusion (RR=1.38, p=0.013) presence of bleeding (RR= 1.48, p=0.048) and calculus + bleeding (RR=1.81, p=0.010) within the CPI index were associated with a negative impact on the social well-being domain.
Conclusions: In conclusion, severe malocclusion caused a negative impact on the domains of functional limitations and social well-being of quilombola adolescents. Oral symptom was the domain that had the most negative effect on the quality of life of quilombolas. There was no association between the increase in DMFT and negative impact on the quality of life.