Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of socioeconomic factors and clinical conditions on the child oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL) of preschool children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 547 children of 0-5-years-old from Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in 2013. Data were collect in the National Children's Vaccination Day Program by calibrated dentists. Clinical examinations assessed the prevalence of dental caries and dental trauma. Information about children's socioeconomic status was collected through a structured questionnaire answered by parents/caregivers. The COHRQoL was measured using the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). Multivariable Poisson regression models were performed to assess the association between clinical conditions, socioeconomic status and COHRQoL. Results: The prevalence of dental caries and dental trauma were 16.42 % and 22.49%, respectively. Higher means of the ECOHIS were found in older children, those with toothache and those whose mother had lower level of formal education. The clinical conditions that have been associated with negative impact on oral health related quality of life were experience caries (RR 4.12; 95% CI 3.10-5.46) and dental trauma (RR 1.37; 95% CI 1.01-1.86). Conclusion: Poor socioeconomic and clinical conditions had a negative impact on the COHRQoL, indicating the need of preventive strategies and policies aiming at improving the quality of life of this sample.

Religiosity has been associated with a better dental condition and positive self-perception of health, but there are no studies on the relationship between religious practice and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), especially among schoolchildren. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between family religiosity and OHRQoL in 12-year-old schoolchildren. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a representative sample of 12-year-old schoolchildren from Santa Maria, a city in southern Brazil. A total of 1,134 schoolchildren were assessed in a randomly selected in 20 public schools in the city. Participants were examined by 4 calibrated dentists (minimum Kappa-value for intra and inter-examiner agreement were 0.79 and 0.77, respectively) according to dental caries (Decayed, Missed, Filled Teeth Index), and gingival bleeding (Community Periodontal Index criteria). OHRQoL was assessed by the Brazilian short version of Child Perceptions for Questionnaire (CPQ11-14). Parents or guardians answered a structured questionnaire regarding their socioeconomic status and religious practice. Data were analyzed using multilevel Poisson regression analysis to assess the association of religiosity and overall and domain-specific CPQ 11-14 scores. Religious practice less than once a week was associated with higher mean symptoms domain scores and higher mean CPQ 11-14 overall scores in schoolchildren. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that family religiosity was positively associated with schoolchildren’s OHRQoL.

Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is defined as an important element for assessing the impact of oral disorders on the daily life of individuals (Sischo & Broder, 2011). Oral conditions, such as gingivitis and untreated dental caries, are prevalent in adolescents (World Health Organization, 2016) and associated with factors such as dental pain, eating discomfort, dissatisfaction, or embarrassment of the appearance of their teeth (Sun et al., 2018), negatively influencing OHRQoL. Conversely, not only clinical aspects but also subjective factors affect OHRQoL. Thus, the literature indicates one of these examples of the influence of the sense of coherence (SOC)

This study evaluated the influence of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) on the consumption of alcohol and cigarette use in adolescents. This prospective cohort began in 2012 (T1) with an initial random sample of 1134 12-year-old adolescents followed for 6 years in Santa Maria, southern Brazil. The present study comprised data from the two cohort reassessments that took place in 2014 (T2) and 2018 (T3). OHRQoL was measured with the Brazilian short version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) at T2. Socioeconomic, demographic, and oral health measures were also collected during this period. Alcohol and cigarette consumption (regular use) in the past 30 days was evaluated at T3 through questions in the of the National School Health Survey (PeNSE) questionnaire. A multilevel Poisson regression model was used to evaluate the influence of predictor variables on substance use. Of the 770 adolescents at T2, 575 and 576 adolescents were reassessed at T3 for alcohol and cigarette consumption, respectively. Adolescents with higher overall CPQ11-14 scores were at higher risk for regular consumption of alcohol (IRR 1.01; 95% CI 1.01-1.02) and cigarette (IRR 1.04; 95% CI 1.03-1.05). Non-white adolescents with low socioeconomic status, untreated dental caries, and who had not been to the dentist (last 6 months) were also associated with increased regular consumption of licit substances. Adolescents with worse OHRQoL presented a higher consumption of alcohol and cigarette. These findings are useful for planning public health strategies to improve adolescent OHRQoL and reduce the harmful substance use.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate trends in the prevalence of dental caries in preschool children and associated factors considering different time variations. Methods: This is a time seriesstudy performed using data from three cross-sectional studies with pre-school children from southern Brazil in 2008, 2013 and 2019. Dental caries was evaluated by decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth (dmft index). Demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural and psychosocial variables were also collected. Chi-square test for trends and a hierarchical age-period-cohort (HAPC) analysis using multilevel Poisson regression model for testing the associations between predictor variables and dental caries experience were used. Results: A total of 1,644 pre-school children participated in all surveys. There was a significant difference in caries experience considering all APC effects. The prevalence of dental caries was 25.0% in 2008, 16.3% in 2013, and 19.4% in 2019 and no statistical difference was observed. An age effect showed that older children were more likely to experience dental caries. Considering the cohort effect, there is a significant difference between the generations, mainly between 2003 and 2018. Household income, use of dental services, and parent’s perception of child oral health were associated with dental caries experience no matter the time variation. Conclusion: Despite recent declines in dental caries prevalence among preschool children, caries levels increased with age and social inequalities persisted through the years, indicating a need of reviewing the policies to reduce the burden of this oral disease. Clinical relevance: Our findings reinforce that the common risk factors still represent the best predictor for dental caries trends.