The impact of dental caries on the oral health-related quality of life in children

Poor oral health can cause pain and discomfort. It can impact sleeping, eating, socializing, speaking, working, etc. It can affect one’s functional, social, and emotional well-being. The personal evaluation of one’s oral health as it relates to the factors just mentioned is known as oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Children in general have high levels of oral disease. Dental caries (cavities) is the most common chronic disease in children. They are affected in many of the same ways adults are. However, children need someone to advocate for them. Parent’s directly impact the oral health of their children. Therefore, it is important that we not only know how much children are impacted by this disease, but the level to which parents perceive that impact. That was the goal of this study.

There were 77 children in this study, aged 2 to 14. All had moderate to high levels of oral disease. Their OHRQoL, as perceived by their parents, was assessed through a questionnaire. Parents of children with higher disease levels perceived their children’s oral health to be poorer compared to parents of children with lower disease levels. However, despite the high levels of oral disease in this study group overall, parents in general perceived that their children’s well-being was impacted very little. It is important to note though that this entire study group was comprised of Amish children. Therefore, there may be cultural differences with the value of oral health and the expectations of health in general.