Evaluation of oral health-related quality of life in preschool children with early childhood caries

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) disrupt functional and social aspects, decreasing the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL). Assessing the correlation between ECC and the OHRQoL is proposed to lead to the further development of measurements used in the Paediatric Dentistry Clinic routine and would help to determine and allocate the sources to patients in need. This study aimed to assess the impact of ECC on the OHRQoL of preschool children using the Turkish version of ECOHIS (T-ECOHIS) and the Turkish version of SOHO-5 (T-SOHO-5) which will be adapted in the process. The SOHO-5 measurement is cross-culturally adapted to Turkish and pilot-tested (n=20). Sociodemographic background information and dental status of children (dmft and ICDAS), the OHRQoL scores (T ECOHIS and t- SOHO-5) were evaluated (n=86). The frequencies of answers given to scales and the level of agreement (T-ECOHIS vs T-SOHO-5 parent and T-SOHO-5 parent vs child) were tested with Percent agreement, Spearman's rho, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Cohen's Kappa and Gwet's AC. Results showed a significant correlation between dmft values and T-ECOHIS (p=0.002), T-ECOHIS CIS (p=0.002), T-ECOHIS FIS (p=0.020), T-SOHO-5 parent (p=0.029) and T-SOHO-5 child (p<0.001). The agreement analysis between T-ECOHIS vs T-SOHO-5 parent and T-SOHO-5 parent vs child were statistically significant (p<0.05), except the items related to the child's self-esteem and appearance (p>0.05). In conclusion, the consequences of ECC on the oral health of children affect both preschool children's and their parents' OHRQoL. T-SOHO-5 is a valid tool to be used on preschool children to evaluate the effects of ECC.Keywords: Early Childhood Caries, Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, the Turkish version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (T-ECOHIS), The Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5)