IADR Abstract Archives
Impact Of Dental Caries On Quality Of Life Of Preschool Children
Objectives: To assess the impact of dental caries on the oral health-related quality of life in a population of preschool children aged 2 to 6 years old and their families in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Methods: A randomly selected sample of 1,606 (response rate of 86.2%) preschool children and their parents/caregivers in 62 preschools in Surabaya participated in this cross-sectional study. Four trained examiners carried out oral examination to assess dental caries status of children using the decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft) index. The parents/caregivers were asked to respond to a set of questions concerning their perception of the impacts of dental caries on the quality of life of their children and family. The mean of child impact scale score, family impact scale score and overall impact scale score were compared between children grouped by caries experience in bivariate analysis. Linear regression models were then generated for child impact, family impact and overall impact scale score.
Results: A total of 1,281 (79.8%) children had dental caries. The mean dmft score was 5.54 (±4.90). Food stuck in the teeth and difficulty in biting or chewing solid foods were frequently reported in the child impact section, whereas in the family impact section, dental caries in children commonly impacted on requiring more attention and having less time for others. A significant difference was found in the mean of child impact scale score, family impact scale score and overall impact scale score between children who had dental caries experience and children who were caries-free (p<0.05). Compared to children who were caries-free, children who had dental caries experience had higher child impact scale score, family impact scale score and overall impact scale score.
Conclusions: The findings showed that having dental caries experience had a negative impact on the oral health-related quality of life of preschool children and their family.
Methods: A randomly selected sample of 1,606 (response rate of 86.2%) preschool children and their parents/caregivers in 62 preschools in Surabaya participated in this cross-sectional study. Four trained examiners carried out oral examination to assess dental caries status of children using the decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft) index. The parents/caregivers were asked to respond to a set of questions concerning their perception of the impacts of dental caries on the quality of life of their children and family. The mean of child impact scale score, family impact scale score and overall impact scale score were compared between children grouped by caries experience in bivariate analysis. Linear regression models were then generated for child impact, family impact and overall impact scale score.
Results: A total of 1,281 (79.8%) children had dental caries. The mean dmft score was 5.54 (±4.90). Food stuck in the teeth and difficulty in biting or chewing solid foods were frequently reported in the child impact section, whereas in the family impact section, dental caries in children commonly impacted on requiring more attention and having less time for others. A significant difference was found in the mean of child impact scale score, family impact scale score and overall impact scale score between children who had dental caries experience and children who were caries-free (p<0.05). Compared to children who were caries-free, children who had dental caries experience had higher child impact scale score, family impact scale score and overall impact scale score.
Conclusions: The findings showed that having dental caries experience had a negative impact on the oral health-related quality of life of preschool children and their family.