Michele Pagliarini Silva
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Mario Vianna Vettore
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Maria Augusta Bessa Rebelo
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Janete Maria Rebelo Vieira
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Ana Paula Corrêa de Queiroz Herkrath
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Background/Aims: This study evaluated the relationships of clinical consequences of untreated dental caries, individual characteristics, and environmental factors on self-reported oral health measures in adolescents. Methods: A follow-up prevalence study was conducted involving 406 twelve-year-old adolescents selected from public schools in the eastern area of the city of Manaus, Brazil. Baseline data included clinical consequences of untreated caries (PUFA/pufa index), DMFT, sociodemographic characteristics (sex, parental schooling, and family income), psychosocial factors (sense of coherence [SOC-13 scale], oral health beliefs and self-esteem [Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale]), and social support (SSA questionnaire). Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL [CPQ11–14]) and self-rated oral health were assessed at the 6-month follow-up. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the relationships between variables according to the Wilson and Cleary model. Results: The prevalence of PUFA/pufa was 17.8% and mean DMFT was 1.5. The number of teeth with clinical consequences of untreated caries predicted poor self-rated oral health at the 6-month follow-up. Low parental schooling predicted low family income and clinical consequences of untreated dental caries. Psychosocial factors predicted OHRQoL directly and self-rated oral health indirectly. OHRQoL was linked to self-rated oral health. Clinical consequences of untreated dental caries mediated the relationship of parental schooling with OHRQoL and self-rated oral health. OHRQoL mediated the relationship of psychosocial factors and sex with self-rated oral health. Clinical consequences of untreated dental caries was associated with adolescents’ self-rated oral health. Furthermore, the former was an important mediator on the link between low parental education and adolescents’ self-reported oral health measures. Conclusions: Socioeconomic status, psychosocial factors, and social support were related to OHRQoL and self-rated oral health via direct and indirect pathways.
Pulpal Involvement-Roots-Sepsis Index: A New Method for Describing the Clinical Consequences of Untreated Dental Caries