Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors That Influence Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents: a Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the sociodemographic and clinical factors that may influence oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) at ages 12 to 15. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Cluster-randomized sample of Hong Kong 12-year-olds. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) was used to measure OHRQoL as the response variable. Periodontal status and caries were examined according to WHO criteria. Malocclusion was assessed using Dental Aesthetic Index. Potential predictors of OHRQoL (age, gender, father's education, mother's education, household income, periodontal status, caries, and malocclusion) were analyzed by structural equation modelling. RESULTS: At age 12, 589 participants (305 females, 284 males) were included. At age 15, 331 (172 females and 159 males) were followed up. For direct effects, age 15 was associated with higher oral symptoms (OS) scores (ß=0.124, 95%CI=0.049 to 0.2) but lower emotional well-being (EWB) scores (ß=-0.105, 95%CI=-0.184 to -0.03). Males had higher OS scores than females (ß=0.126, 95%CI=0.059 to 0.208). Mother's education had positive effects on children's EWB (ß=-0.096, 95%CI=-0.159 to -0.018). Malocclusion had negative effects on functional limitations (FL) (ß=0.083, 95%CI=0.013 to 0.186). For indirect effect, mother's education showed a link via EWB to OHRQoL (ß=-0.077, 95%CI=-0.123 to -0.018). Malocclusion showed a link via FL to OHRQoL (ß=0.037, 95%CI=0.006 to 0.087). CONCLUSIONS: Age, gender, mother's education and malocclusion predicted OHRQoL at ages 12 and 15.

Timing of arthrocentesis in the management of temporomandibular disorders: an integrative review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to assess the best timing to perform arthrocentesis in the management of temporomandibular disorders with regard to conservative treatment. A systematic search based on PRISMA guidelines, including a computer search with specific keywords, reference list search, and manual search was performed. Relevant articles were selected after three search rounds for final review based on six predefined inclusion criteria, followed by a round of critical appraisal. Eleven publications, including eight randomized controlled trials and three prospective clinical studies, were included in the review. The studies were divided into three groups based on the timing of arthrocentesis: (1) arthrocentesis as the initial treatment; (2) early arthrocentesis; and (3) late arthrocentesis. Meta-analysis was carried out to compare the efficacy of improvement in mouth opening and pain reduction in the three groups. All three groups showed improvement in mouth opening and pain reduction, with forest plots suggesting that arthrocentesis performed within 3 months of conservative treatment might produce beneficial results. We conclude that there is a knowledge gap in the current literature regarding the preferable timing to perform arthrocentesis in the management of temporomandibular disorders, and more high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to shed light on this subject.

Oral health-related quality of life in Hong Kong preschool children.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of early childhood caries (ECC) on the quality of life in a population of preschool children and their families in Hong Kong. METHODS: A random sample of 1,296 Chinese preschool children participated in the survey and were subjected to an oral examination for their ECC status by 2 trained examiners. The parents were asked to respond to the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and an extra set of questions concerning their sociodemographic background. RESULTS: The final data analysis included 1,261 children with a mean (±SD) age of 3.9 ± 0.66 years. The prevalence figures for ECC and severe ECC were 19.9 and 15.2%, respectively. Decayed teeth were found in 34.3% of the children while only 5.2% had filled teeth. The mean (±SD) dmft in this group of children was 1.5 ± 2.98. Higher ECOHIS scores were found in parents with lower education or income level, or with children who were born in mainland China (p < 0.05), or with children who had decayed, missing, or filled teeth (p < 0.001). In multiple regression analyses, decayed teeth and filled teeth in primary dentition were the better predictors (p < 0.001) of the ECOHIS score among the various parent and child characteristics collected in this survey. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study showed that parents of young children with dental caries experience perceived that both the children and other family members had poorer quality of life.