Utilização dos serviços odontológicos e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal em pré-escolares de Salvador - Bahia

Abstract

Oral health problems, especially dental caries, require attention from early childhood, as they affect children’s nutrition, sleep, speech, and overall well-being, as well as that of their families. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened pre-existing barriers to dental care access, increasing inequalities and negatively impacting children’s oral health. Objective: Analyzing the use of dental services and its impact on oral health-related quality of life among preschool children in Salvador, Brazil, and to identify factors associated with service utilization and quality of life in this group. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 523 children aged 26 to 80 months enrolled in public municipal daycare centers in Salvador, Bahia. Data were collected using a clinical oral health assessment form and a self-administered questionnaire completed by parents or guardians, addressing sociodemographic characteristics, dietary and oral habits, and use of dental services. Dental caries experience was assessed, and oral health-related quality of life was measured using the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B- ECOHIS), with scores categorized according to impact level. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed using linear regression, with a 95% significance level. Results: Dental caries were present in 41.87% of the children, and low utilization of dental services during the pandemic was observed (15.68%). Age, family income, presence of dental caries, and experiences of fear or anxiety were significantly associated with the overall B-ECOHIS score, highlighting inequalities in access to dental services and their impact on children’s oral health-related quality of life. The use of dental services showed little impact on oral health-related quality of life in this population. Conclusion: Dental caries and socioeconomic factors significantly influenced oral health-related quality of life among preschoolers, while dental service utilization during the pandemic was limited and had minimal impact, reinforcing the need for equitable public oral health strategies for early childhood.