Impact of oral clinical problems on oral health-related quality of life in brazilian children: a hierarchical approach.

BACKGROUND: Oral health-related quality of life may be influenced by a series of characteristics. Considering the multidimensional character of quality of life, these impacts should be evaluated in the context of the physical, psychological, and social domains.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of clinical and perceived oral health problems on oral health-related quality of life in its different domains.

DESIGN: Clinical exams were conducted on a representative cross-sectional sample of 12-year-old children in Brazil. The instrument Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) was used to evaluate the quality of life in relation to oral health. Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple hierarchical analyses were conducted.

RESULTS: Of the 7328 children studied, 2577 (33.5%) presented oral health-related impacts on quality of life. Clinical and perceived conditions of oral health were associated with the presence of overall impacts in the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of oral health-related quality of life. Furthermore, Family income was associated with overall impacts and the level of motivation to use dental health services was associated with the physical dimension.

CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and perceived conditions of oral health in Brazilian 12-year-olds were associated with a negative impact on oral health-related quality of life.