Association between underlying dentin shadows (ICDAS 4) and OHRQoL among adolescents from southern Brazil

• Published in: Brazilian oral research 2024-01, Vol.38, p.e046
• Main Authors: Marquezan, Patrícia Kolling, Comim, Letícia Donato, Racki, Débora Nunes de Oliveira, Dalla Nora, Ângela, Alves, Luana Severo, Zenkner, Julio Eduardo do Amaral
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Brazil - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cross-Sectional Study; Dental Caries; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Dental Caries - psychology; Dentin; DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Oral Health - statistics & numerical data; Original Research/Cariology; Poisson Distribution; Prevalence; Quality of Life; Socioeconomic Factors; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1807-3107; 1806-8324; 1807-3107
• DOI: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2024.vol38.0046

This study aimed to assess the association between underlying dentin shadows (UDS) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among 15-19-year-old adolescents from southern Brazil. This population-based cross-sectional study included a representative sample of 1,197 15-19-year-old adolescents attending 31 public and private schools from Santa Maria, Brazil. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was used to evaluate the OHRQoL, and clinical examinations were performed by two calibrated examiners (intra/interexaminer kappa values for caries examination ≥ 0.80) to diagnose UDS (ICDAS code 4 caries lesions). Sociodemographic information and clinical characteristics (overall caries experience, traumatic dental injury, malocclusion, and gingivitis) were also collected as adjusting variables. Multilevel Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between UDS and OHRQoL. Rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. The UDS prevalence was 8.8% (n = 106 adolescents). In the adjusted models, adolescents with UDS had poorer OHRQoL than those without UDS, and the strength of the association was dependent on the number of lesions per individual. Individuals with 1-2 UDS had a mean OHIP-14 score 8% higher (RR = 1.08; 95%CI: 1.01-1.17) than adolescents without UDS, while those with 3-4 UDS had a mean score 35% higher (RR = 1.35; 95%CI: 1.12-1.63). This negative association was related to physical disability, psychological disability, social disability, and handicap domains. This study showed that UDS was associated negatively with OHRQoL among 15-19-year-old adolescents from southern Brazil. The negative effect of UDS on OHRQoL emphasizes the importance of addressing issues regarding OHRQoL even in the posterior teeth of adolescents.