Background It is important to understand the interaction of various predictors with oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) to better design effective interventions to improve OHRQoL. Aim The aim of this study was to develop and validate a conceptual model evaluating the factors affecting the OHRQoL in children. Design The study group consisted of 754 parent‐child dyads. The data collection tools were a socio‐demographic data form, the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (C‐DAS), Children's Fear Survey Schedule‐Dental Subscale (CFSS‐DS), and an oral and dental health examination form. A conceptual model was developed to examine the factors affecting OHRQoL in children consisting of four endogenous and four exogenous variables. Path analysis was used to test the compatibility of the conceptual model. Results OHRQoL was associated with parental socio‐economic status (β = −0.12; P < .001), dental anxiety (β = −0.15; P < .001), and oral health behaviours (β = −0.13; P < .001). Although parental dental anxiety had the strongest direct effect on OHRQoL, children's oral health behaviours had the strongest indirect effect. Conclusions This study revealed a valid demonstrable path of association between parental socio‐economic status, dental anxiety, childhood dental anxiety, oral health behaviours, and OHRQoL.

Metaphors are strong tools used in describing the perceptions of people about a certain phenomenon in detail. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of dental students towards pediatric dentistry clinic (PDC) through metaphors. Materials and Methods:The study group consisted of 441 dental students (DS) who were selected by convenience sampling method. The participants were asked to fill in gaps in the statement "PDC is like ………, because ………". The conceptual categories under which the metaphors produced about PDC were investigated and also examined whether there were any significant differences between these conceptual categories in terms of the genders and grades (preclinical or clinical) of the participants. The mixed method including the quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques was used for statistical analysis. Results:DS produced 320 valid metaphors under a total of 17 sample metaphors that best reflect all of them. The metaphors were collected under 4 conceptual categories which are; PDC is like; 1) an educative place; 2) a curative place; 3) a playground place; and 4) a scary place. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of gender (p>0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of grades (p<0.05). While clinical dental students showed a heavy distribution in educative and curative categories, preclinical dental students showed a distribution mostly in scary and playground category. Conclusion: Metaphor analysis was seen as a beneficial measurement tool in determining the perceptions of the dental students.