Do maternal depression and anxiety influence children's oral health-related quality of life?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the influence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in young mothers on their perception in relation to their children's oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL).

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, and it was nested in a cohort of adolescent mothers having their prenatal care in public health service, starting in 2008. When the children were aged 24-36 months, they and their mothers were interviewed and submitted to clinical examination by a trained team. Socioeconomic, educational, behavioural and psychological assessments were collected in the interview and oral examination investigated caries and gingival bleeding (in mothers) and caries and dental trauma (in children). Maternal perception of impact on COHRQoL was evaluated by Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). The outcome in the present study was the occurrence of impact on COHRQoL (ECOHIS≥2), that is the presence of at least one ECOHIS item reported as occasionally (score 2), often (score 3) or very often (score 4). Analysis was conducted using Poisson regression with robust variance and obtained prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS: This study comprised 537 mother-child dyads. After adjustment, higher scores of COHRQoL remained significantly associated with depressive symptoms (PR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.36-2.38) and maternal anxiety symptoms (PR=2.28, 95% CI: 1.72-3.00). Mothers with anxiety symptoms or depressive symptoms had a prevalence of impact 91% higher when compared with mothers without any symptoms (PR=1.91; CI 95% 1.35-2.68), and mothers with both symptoms had almost 2.5 times higher risk of perception of negative impact on COHRQoL (PR=2.48; CI 95% 1.78-3.45).

CONCLUSION: Poorer COHRQoL was associated with maternal depression and anxiety symptoms.