Effect of routine dental attendance on child oral health‐related quality of life: A cohort study

Abstract

BackgroundThere is an improvement in oral health status among people who receive preventive dental care during their lifetime, highlighting the possible effect in resolving oral health problems and consequently oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL).AimAssessed the effect of routine dental attendance on child OHRQoL.DesignThis cohort study used baseline data from 639 preschoolers from 2010. After 7 years, 449 children were re‐examined (70.3%). Mothers of the children completed a questionnaire collecting data on the pattern of use of dental services. Children were classified as adhering to long‐term routine dental attendance according to their pattern of use (routine vs curative) in the baseline and in follow‐up. The child OHRQoL was assessed through the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ8‐10). The association between routine dental attendance and child OHRQoL was assessed using multilevel Poisson regression models.ResultsThe proportion of participants who reported the worst CPQ8‐10 scores were higher among those who, at some point in their life, experienced a curative dental attendance. Also, the mean CPQ8‐10 was two times higher for non‐routine dental attendance.ConclusionThe findings showed that there is an impact of long‐term routine attendance on child OHRQoL. This is important for tackling oral health iniquities.

Availability of public dental care service and dental caries increment in children: a cohort study

“…In this sense, the early and continuous care of children can minimize the sequelae of dental caries with the establishment of health habits 10 . This finding is in agreement with other studies, which showed that irregular dental visits were associated with more untreated dental caries and poor oral health related quality of life in children 26‐28 . The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend children to visit a dentist as early as 6 months of age, as this would be a strategy to establish primary prevention or an early intervention for the effects of dental caries 29…”

“…10 This finding is in agreement with other studies, which showed that irregular dental visits were associated with more untreated dental caries and poor oral health related quality of life in children. [26][27][28] The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend children to visit a dentist as early as 6 months of age, as this would be a strategy to establish primary prevention or an early intervention for the effects of dental caries. 29 Our results should be interpreted with caution, because they have some limitations.…”

Oral health-related quality of life as a predictor of alcohol and cigarette consumption in adolescents

“…12 This effect can be cumulative over the years, confirming the fact that a negative impact on OHRQoL in a transitional and self-acceptance phase would not disappear in the period considered in this study. 27,28 This scenario can affect not only the current quality of life, but also long-term physical, psychological, and social development, promoting worse well-being associated with negative feelings. 11 Furthermore, these feelings may justify the adoption of risky behaviors, such as substances use, since many people find in this habit an escape from the stressful reality they experience.…”

Narratives about a stigma: attributing meaning to the early loss of deciduous teeth on children's caregivers

“…Researches have used quantitative structured questionnaires to learn about and evaluate oral health in children, associating it with quality of life. 35 Nevertheless, do not provide insight into the life-worlds of children qualitatively and analysis of un(der)explored facets of the experience of early loss of deciduous teeth from the perspective of phenomenology. Given the need for analysis that allows understanding of human behaviours and beliefs, this study shows the meaning of the experience of early tooth loss in the lives of children and their families, from the perspective of caregivers.…”

“…25 The reflexivity among researchers from different areas enriched the analytical attention on the subjectivity of this research, determining the lens through which the researchers looked to understand the participants' experiences and social meanings. In this sense, the results found below are consequences of the dialogue between the different perspectives and challenging assumptions of the researchers, associated to the theoretical framework adopted around the loss of deciduous teeth as a cultural expression of a social group 8,15,25,26,27,28 as well as other theoretical perspectives that guided in the analysis of the first 1,2,3,7,11,12,27,29,30 and the second 13,14,16,21,28,31,32,33,34,35 categories.…”