Do socio-economic circumstances affect oral health related quality of life?

Design This study investigates the influence of socioeconomic inequalities on Brazilian adolescents' oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) as measured by the Child Perceptions Questionnaire for 11- to 14-year-old children (CPQ11-14) over time using a cohort study design.Cohort Selection The initial 1,134 participants for this study were recruited using two stage random sampling. Of these, 747 remained at the two-year follow-up.Data Analysis Multi-level linear regression was performed on socioeconomic factors, clinical variables, and CPQ11-14 scores at the two timepoints.Results Lower school neighbourhood and household income, and maternal education are associated with worse OHRQoL over time in adolescents. Other predictors shown to be associated with worse OHRQoL over time include being female, having been seen by a dentist for toothache, having caries and having malocclusion.Conclusions Adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have worse OHRQoL over time than their peers from high socioeconomic groups. Other factors shown to be associated with worse OHRQoL over time include being female, having been seen by a dentist for toothache, having caries and having malocclusion.