Qualidade de vida e saúde bucal em escolares

Abstract

Oral health is a factor that impacts the quality of life of children and adolescents, thus the objective of this study was to evaluate the role of both school and individual determinants in the students oral-health related quality of life (OHRQoL). A crosssectional, observational study was conducted with a sample of 971 students of 15-19 years, of DRE02 state schools in Sergipe. The impact of oral health on quality of life was measured through the Brazilian version of the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14-short version), ranging from 0 to 64, where higher scores indicate worse OHRQoL. The questionnaire evaluates four domains: oral symptoms, functional limitation, emotional and social wellbeing. The scores were analyzed in relation to income indicator and the Basic Education Development Index (“IDEB”), besides sex. Most of the students evaluated reported a favorable OHRQoL (mean CPQ11-14 score - 10.61). Girls presented worse OHRQoL (higher CPQ11-14 score) compared to boys. In general, the income and educational indicators influenced the OHRQoL, since the lowest CPQ11-14 scores were related to higher values of IDEB and income. Therefore, actions of both health and education sectors, as well as actions to reduce social inequalities, are important to improve the oral health and welfare of students.