Toothache, Associated Factors, and Its Impact on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in Preschool Children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of toothache, associated factors and impact of this condition on the Child Oral Health Related Quality of Life (COHRQoL) in preschoolers. The study was carried out in Santa Maria, Brazil, during the National Children's Vaccination Day, and 534 children aged 0 to 5 years were included. Clinical variables included dental caries and dental trauma. A questionnaire was responded by the parents and provided information about several socioeconomic indicators, dental service use and toothache. Toothache was collected by the question: "Has your child ever had a toothache - Yes or no?". Data on COHRQoL were assessed using the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS). Multivariable Logistic regression models were performed to assess the association between the predictor variables and outcomes. The prevalence of toothache was 10.11% (95% CI: 7.55% - 12.68%). Older children had a higher chance of presenting dental pain (OR 2.72; 95% CI: 1.01 - 7.56), as well as children with caries experience (OR 3.43; 95% CI: 1.81 - 6.52). Moreover, children who had not visited the dental service in the last 6 months were less likely to present toothache (OR 0.51; 95% CI: 0.28 - 0.95). The presence of dental pain negatively affects the COHRQoL; those with toothache presented a higher chance of having higher impact on the total scores of ECOHIS (OR 4.18; 95% CI: 1.76 - 9.95) than those without toothache. Similar observation was found for the child section of the questionnaire (OR 5.54; 95% CI: 2.15 - 14.24). Toothache negatively affects COHRQoL and is associated with caries experience, age and use of dental service.

Prevalence of early loss of primary molar and its impact in schoolchildren's quality of life

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Prevalence of early childhood caries among 5‐year‐old children: A systematic review

“…Although no symptoms can be found at the early stage of dental caries, discomfort or pain can occur when the lesion progresses into dentin or involves the dental pulp . Untreated ECC might cause difficulties in sleeping and eating, and possibly affect children's growth and development . Studies have reported that children who suffer from cavitated dentin caries have been found to have lower body weight and height, compared with those without dental caries .…”

Factors associated with Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of preschool children in Southern Brazil

“…One of the reasons for dental caries to affect the quality of life is painful sensition [16][17] . Toothache leads to limitations in the oral functioning and emotional state of the child 18 , causing difficulty to relax and problems in school performance 19 , as well as difficulty sleeping 16 .…”