Dental Caries and Quality of Life in Mexican Preschool Children

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries in preschool Mexican children (3-5 years-old) and its impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)
Methods: A cross-sectional study including both private/public and rural/urban randomly selected preschools in Tepatitlan de Morelos, Mexico, was conducted. Data regarding OHRQoL were obtained using the validated version of the ECOHIS questionnaire for Mexican population (M-ECOHIS), whilst caries prevalence was clinically determined using the ICDAS criteria at two thresholds: subjects with at least one lesion in enamel or dentin (ICDAS 1-6) and subjects with at least one lesion in dentin (ICDAS 3-6). One-way ANOVA, chi-squared test, and a logistic regression model were used for data analysis
Results: Four hundred and nine children and their caregivers participated. Children were evenly distributed by sex, type of school and location. The prevalence of dental caries was 82% when considered lesions in enamel and dentin (ICDAS1-6) and 45% for lesions in dentin (ICDAS 3-6). The mean M-ECOHIS scores for the domains ‘impact on children’ and ‘impact on family’ were statistically significant higher in children with moderate (ICDAS 3 and 4) and severe caries lesions (ICDAS 5 and 6). Supervised tooth brushing (p<0.01) and not reporting tooth pain (p<0.01) were positively associated with caries experience
Conclusions: Untreated cavitated caries lesions impact negatively the oral health-related quality of life of preschool children and their families in Mexico.