Determinação da cárie dentária, hipomineralização molar incisivo e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal: uma abordagem usando modelagem por equações estruturais

Abstract

Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is a construct that has been studied and with great importance in the last decades, especially regarding the impact of oral conditions on people's daily lives. The aim of this study was to evaluate, through a structural model for determining dental caries and molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH), the impact of these conditions and socioeconomic conditions on the OHRQoL of schoolchildren. This representative cross-sectional study was conducted in Lavras, MG, with a sample of 1181 schoolchildren of both sexes, aged between 8 and 9 years. OHRQoL was measured by the Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 8-10 (CPQ 8-10) self-reported by schoolchildren. The clinical examination of the schoolchildren's permanent teeth was performed by a dentist calibrated for the diagnosis of dental caries, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), and MIH, according to the parameters proposed by the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (EAPD). Parents answered a questionnaire about the child's medical history and the family's socioeconomic status. This study was approved by the UFMG Research Ethics Committee (Protocol #398,792). Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling to estimate the direct and indirect effects between the variables, adopting a significance level value of 0.05. The structural model showed that greater severity of the MIH (β = 1.796; p<0.001) and worse socioeconomic status (β = -0.100; p=0.001) were associated with greater number of teeth with caries experience. In addition, greater the number of teeth with caries experience (β = 0.099; p=0.004) and worse socioeconomic status (β = -0.164; p<0.001) were associated with greater negative impact on OHRQoL of schoolchildren. No direct association was found between HMI and OHRQoL (β = 0.198; p > 0.05), but an indirect association was observed between these variables, mediated by the variable number of teeth with caries experience (β = 0.099; p=0.004). It is concluded that schoolchildren with more teeth affected by dental caries, with greater severity of MIH and belonging to families with worse socioeconomic status had a greater negative impact on OHRQoL. Dental caries and socioeconomic status had a direct effect on OHRQOL, and MIH had an indirect effect, through dental caries experience.