Assessment of the Association of Caries Status and Risk Assessment with the OHRQoL in Three to Six Year-Old Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Dental caries has a significant impact on the social, psychological and general health, and the quality of life of children. Caries risk assessment could be an effective means of instituting preventive strategies to improve oral health, thus influencing the quality of life of children.

Aim: To assess the association of dental caries status (dmft-pufa) and risk assessment {Caries Risk Assessment For Treatment (CRAFT) score} with the OHRQoL (ECOHIS score) in three to six year-old children

Methodology: Thirty three children and their parents were recruited in this cross sectional study. The caries status and risk of the child was assessed using dmft-pufa and CRAFT (an indigenously developed digital tool) score respectively. The children were examined by a single calibrated examiner with caries threshold set at ICDAS score 2. The parents filled a 6 domain ECOHIS questionnaire to assess the oral health related quality of life of the children. Categorical data was depicted as frequencies and numerical data as mean. Ordinal association was assessed using Kendall Tau-b.

Results: There was a moderate correlation between dmft - ECOHIS score (r = 0.496, p = 0.003) and pufa - ECOHIS score (r = 0.408, p = 0.018 ). Higher number of subjects with higher ECOHIS scores were seen in the high-risk category of CRAFT (x² = 23.477, p = 0.024).

Conclusion: Caries status, risk and OHRQoL were associated in 3 to 6 year old children, thus caries risk assessment may serve as a predictor of poor OHRQoL.