Work

Relationship Between the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of Mothers and That of Their Adolescent Children: A Retrospective Pilot Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children is an issue of growing interest in the scientific literature, with various studies focused on the adolescent population published in recent years. Nevertheless, few studies have evaluated the possible influence of the OHRQoL of mothers on that of their adolescent children. The aim of this study was to analyse the correlation between the OHRQoL of mothers and that of their adolescent children at their first oral examination. Methods: This retrospective pilot study was performed at the Dental Clinic of the University of Salamanca (Spain) between 2023 and 2025. The OHRQoL of 130 adolescent patients (from 11 to 14 years old) who visited the dentist for the first time was analysed. The mothers of these children were also interviewed to evaluate their OHRQoL; the adolescent patients completed the Spanish version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ-Esp11–14) before their first dental consultation, and their mothers completed the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Results: The study population consisted of 130 mothers (mean age: 43.0 ± 2.66 years) and their respective adolescent children (mean age: 12.5 ± 1.3 years) (65 boys and 65 girls). Among the adolescent patients, the highest score was obtained for the social well-being dimension of the CPQ-Esp11–14 (25.01 ± 4.10), whereas the lowest was obtained for the oral symptoms dimension (10.88 ± 3.78). A higher score on the physical pain dimension of the OHRQoL for the mothers was related (p < 0.01) to higher scores on the emotional and social well-being dimensions of the CPQ-Esp11–14 for their children. Conclusions: Considering the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the OHRQoL of mothers has some effect on that of their adolescent children when visiting a dentist for the first time.

Source: Children

DOI: 10.3390/children12121691