Impacto da cárie dentária na qualidade de vida de pré-escolares e seus familiares, no município de Santa Cruz do Sul (RS).

Abstract

In spite of having seen a decline of caries lesions in children and adolescents, in both globally and national terms, this remains one of the main problems of oral health to be faced in Brazil and in the world. Due to the impact of oral health conditions on quality of life observed in recent years, studies have been conducted in order to measure the impact of dental caries and socioeconomic factors in oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of dental caries and socioeconomic factors in the quality of life of preschool children and their families, in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS). This is a cross-sectional study, with a sample of 471 children aged 2 to 5 years old, regularly enrolled in public preschool of Santa Cruz do Sul (RS). Three calibrated examiners evaluated the experience of dental caries in children, following the diagnostic criteria established by World Health Organization (WHO). Caregivers completed the Brazilian Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-COHIS) and another about the socionomic conditions. It is emphasized that the results presented in this study were partial, totalizing 335 of the 471 children. The prevalence of dental caries was 34,3%. Multivariate analysis showed that the negative impact on QVRSB were statistically associated (p <0.05) with the variables: caries experience (RR 2.02, 95% CI 1.75 to 2.35), low income (RR 1.19; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.38) and low paternal education (RR 1.80, 95% CI: 1.38 to 1.89). Maternal education and occupation of parents were not statistically significant in this study. It can be concluded that dental caries and socioeconomic factors negatively impacted on QVRSB of preschool children and their families in this population.