Influence of toothache on oral health-related quality of life during adolescence: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the influence of toothache in early adolescence on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) on later adolescence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted, starting in 2012 within a random sample of 1,134 adolescents of 12-year-olds, in Santa Maria, Brazil. Clinical, socioeconomic, demographic, and subjective variables were obtained. Toothache was collected through the question "In the last 6 months, did you have toothache?" Six years later, the same adolescents answered the short form of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14). Multilevel Poisson regression was used to evaluate the association between toothache at baseline (2012) with overall and domain-specific CPQ11-14 scores at follow-up (2018). RESULTS: A total of 769 adolescents were revaluated in 2018 (68% rate retention), with a mean age of 17.5 years (SD, 0.64). Adolescents who reported toothache at the baseline presented a had a higher mean score in the overall CPQ questionnaire during follow-up (Incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.25; 95% CI 1.20-1.31). Toothache was also associated with all domain-specific CPQ11-14 even after adjusting the other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Brazilian adolescents who had toothache in early adolescence, even if only a single episode, have a negative impact on OHRQoL throughout adolescence. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings serve as a warning for dental professionals to dedicate their preventive approaches and to promote healthy standards in this age group, in order to avoid episodes of toothache and negative impact on OHRQoL.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on behavioural and psychosocial factors related to oral health in adolescents: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on behavioural and psychosocial aspects related to oral health is unknown. AIM: This study evaluated the psychosocial and behavioural changes related to oral health in adolescents immediately before and during the pandemic period of COVID-19, enabling a longitudinal assessment of the perceived changes. DESIGN: This cohort study evaluated 290 adolescents from November 2019 to February 2020 (T1-before the pandemic in Brazil) and from June to July 2020 (T2) in southern Brazil. Sociodemographic, behavioural, and psychosocial variables were measured before and during the pandemic. Issues related to social distancing and job loss were also collected. The differences between the variables in T1 and T2, as well as the effect of social distancing, were assessed using a multilevel-adjusted logistic regression model for repeated measures. RESULTS: A total of 207 adolescents were re-evaluated at T2 (a response rate of 71.3%). During the pandemic, the frequency of toothbrushing, the use of dental services, and the self-perceived need for dental treatment significantly decreased. Sugar consumption, bruxism, and quality of sleep did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Behavioural and psychosocial factors showed significant changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents.

COVID-19 pandemic reduces the negative perception of oral health-related quality of life in adolescents.

PURPOSE: As people around the world are facing the Covid-19 outbreak, their perception of oral health problems could be changed. This study aimed to evaluate the immediate effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of adolescents. METHODS: A cohort study with schoolchildren from southern Brazil was conducted. Data on adolescents' OHRQoL were collected from December 2019 to February 2020 (T1), before the Brazilian Covid-19 outbreak. Posteriorly, the data were collected again in June and July of 2020 (T2), under the Brazilian Covid-19 outbreak. The OHRQoL was assessed using the Brazilian short version of the CPQ11-14. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and the degree of social distancing were also assessed. Changes in OHRQoL between T1 and T2 were evaluated by adjusted Multilevel Poisson regression models for repeated measures. RESULTS: From 290 individuals evaluated at T1, 207 were reevaluated at T2 (response rate of 71.3%). The overall CPQ11-14 mean score was significantly lower during the pandemic, reducing from 10.8 at T1 to 7.7 at T2. This significant reduction was also observed for all CPQ domains, indicating a lower negative impact of oral conditions on adolescents' quality of life during the pandemic. Adolescents from families that had a middle or low degree of social distancing during the pandemic and whose parents were harmed in employment had higher CPQ11-14 scores. CONCLUSION: Overall and specific-domains CPQ-14 scores were significantly lower during the Brazilian Covid-19 outbreak, indicating a decrease in the perception of oral health problems by adolescents over that period.