Severity of Dental Caries and Quality of Life for Toddlers and Their Families.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of untreated caries in different stages on the oral healthrelated quality of life (OHRQoL) of one- to three-year-olds and their families.

METHODS: The mothers of 308 children answered the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale to determine their perceptions of the OHRQoL of their children. The mothers also answered a questionnaire addressing demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of their families. The children were submitted to a clinical examination for the diagnosis of dental caries using International Caries Detection and Assessment System criteria. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, and hierarchically adjusted Poisson regression models.

RESULTS: The prevalence of untreated caries was 64.3 percent. Among the children with caries, 53.5 percent exhibited the severe stage of the condition. Negative impact on OHRQoL was significantly associated with severe stage of caries (prevalence ratio [PR] equals 2.80, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] equals 1.90 to 4.12, P<0.001), and a younger age for the mother (PR equals 1.69, 95 percent CI equals 1.27 to 2.25, P<0.001).

CONCLUSION: Untreated caries in advanced stages was associated with a poorer quality of life among one- to three-year-olds and their families.