BackgroundOral disorders can have a negative impact on the functional, social and psychological wellbeing of young children and their families and cause pain/discomfort for the child. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) has emerged as an important health outcome in clinical trials and healthcare research. The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) is a proxy measure of children's OHRQoL designed to assess the negative impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the ECOHIS (B-ECOHIS).MethodsThis investigation was carried out in preliminary and field studies. The preliminary study comprised a cross-sectional study carried out in the city of Petropolis, Brazil. A sample of 150 children from two to five years of age was recruited at a public hospital. In the field study, an epidemiological survey was carried out in public and private preschools of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The B-ECOHIS was answered by 1643 parents/caregivers of five-year-old male and female preschool children. In both phases, oral examinations were performed by a single previously calibrated dentist. Reliability was determined through test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Validity was determined through convergent and discriminant validities. The correlation between the scores obtained on the child and family impact sections was assessed.ResultsIn the preliminary (P) and field (F) study, test-retest reliability correlation values were 0.98 and 0.99 for the child impact section and 0.97 and 0.99 for the family impact section, respectively. The B-ECOHIS demonstrated internal consistency: child impact section (P: α = 0.74; F: α = 0.80) and family impact section (P: α = 0.59; F: α = 0.76). The correlation between the scores obtained on the child and family impact sections was statistically significant (P: rs = 0.54; F: rs = 0.62; p ≤ 0.001). In both phases of the study, B-ECOHIS scores were significantly associated with the decayed, missing and filled teeth index, decayed teeth and discolored upper anterior teeth (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe B-ECOHIS proved reliable and valid for assessing the negative impact of oral disorders on the quality of life of preschool children.

Although clinical dental status has weak correlations with subjective impacts, some of them are significant. Those variables which had significant correlations could be used as a starting point to understand clinical and social characteristics of people who experience dental problems. This is indeed the basis for the current research. The study compares psychosocial impacts on the quality of people's life with their respective oral status. To that end, a socio-dental indicator, the 'Dental Impact of Daily Living' (DIDL), involving five dimensions, together with a scale which assesses dimension impacts, was developed. The resulting instrument was validated and the reliability tested. The instrument generates a total final score, in addition to scores for each dimension. The method was tested in Brazil on a sample of 662 people, aged from 35 to 44 years, of two social classes, both sexes, and with three different levels of dental caries status or with a full upper denture. To test whether DIDL discriminated between groups with different levels of subjective impact, we analyzed how oral status, social class, and gender varied according to impacts. Different levels of oral status had different impacts on people's daily life. On the basis of the results, it is reasonable to suggest that oral status and social and psychological dimensions should be considered simultaneously when in assessment of people's dental needs.

The data suggest that periodontal treatment with SRP might have an effect on the ESR reduction.

Based on the obtained results, individuals with high levels of trait anxiety appeared to be more prone to periodontal disease.

There is no consensus about the influence of periodontal disease on preterm low birthweight. The objective was to investigate the relationship between periodontal disease and preterm low birthweight. A case-control study with 542 post partum women aged over 30 yrs was conducted. Three groups of cases were compared with non-preterm and non-low-birthweight control individuals (n = 393): low birthweight (n = 96), preterm (n = 110), and preterm and low birthweight (n = 63). Periodontal clinical parameters and covariates were recorded. Periodontal disease levels were higher in control individuals than in cases. The extent of periodontal disease did not increase risk of preterm low birthweight according to 15 measures of periodontal disease. Mean periodontal pocket depth and frequency of periodontal sites with clinical attachment level > or = 3 mm in preterm low birthweight cases were lower than in control individuals. Periodontal disease was not more severe in women with preterm low birthweight babies.