Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess the effect of dental treatment on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of adolescents from a city in South Brazil.
Materials and methods: This longitudinal study included 129 adolescents aged 10 to 15 years who received dental caries treatment in a university clinic in Santa Maria, Brazil. The OHRQoL was measured using the Brazilian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire for children aged 11 to 14 years (CPQ11-14). The questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews before treatment and 1 month after its completion. Paired t tests and effect sizes were used to evaluate changes in CPQ11-14 scores after completion of treatment.
Results: In total, 43.4% of the study participants received solely restorations, 15.5% received endodontic treatment, and 44.2% underwent tooth extractions. The mean CPQ11-14 score before treatment was 15.9 ± 10.3, which decreased to 6.3 ± 6.5 after treatment (P < 0.001). The same pattern was observed in the four domains of CPQ11-14 (oral symptoms, functional limitation, emotional well-being, and social well-being). The effect sizes varied from 0.4 to 1.1, with oral symptoms and emotional well-being domains showing the greatest changes.
Conclusions: Dental treatment resulted in a significant improvement in the OHRQoL of the evaluated adolescents.
Clinical relevance: Providing dental treatment has beneficial effects on the quality of life of adolescents, especially for oral symptoms and emotional well-being.
Keywords: Adolescent; Dental treatment; Epidemiology; Oral health-related quality of life.