Impact of social capital and clinical factors on the oral health-related quality of life of vulnerable children and their families

Karolina Azevedo; Patricia Rafaela dos Santos; Caroline Nogueira de Moraes; Gabriell Bonifacio Borgato; Silvia A. S. Vedovello; Diego Patrik Alves Carneiro

doi:10.14393/BJ-v41n0a2025-78461

Authors

Karolina Azevedo Centro Universitário Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio
Patricia Rafaela dos Santos Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Caroline Nogueira de Moraes Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Gabriell Bonifacio Borgato Centro Universitário Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0798-2484
Silvia A. S. Vedovello Universidade Estadual de Campinas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7203-2867
Diego Patrik Alves Carneiro Universidade Estadual de Campinas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14393/BJ-v41n0a2025-78461

Keywords:

Children, Dental caries, Malocclusion, Quality of life, Social capital.

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of individual social capital and clinical variables on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of vulnerable children and their families. This cross-sectional observational study included children of both sexes and their parents or guardians. The OHRQoL was assessed using the Brazilian version of the ECOHIS questionnaire. Individual social capital was evaluated through participation in community, school, and religious activities. The criteria recommended by the WHO were used to analyze dental caries and malocclusion. Adjusted logistic regression models estimated the odds ratios at a 95% CI; the multiple regression model included variables with p < 0.20 in the individual analyses, and those with p ≤ 0.05 remained in the final model. Younger children with caries occurrence and lower social capital are 1.74 (95% CI: 1.13-2.68), 2.89 (95% CI: 1.88-4.45), and 3.69 (95% CI: 2.36-5.78) times more likely to experience a higher impact on OHRQoL (p < 0.05). Families of children with caries occurrence and lower social capital are 2.31 (95% CI: 1.52-3.50) and 3.56 (95% CI: 2.29-5.54) times more likely to experience a higher impact on OHRQoL (p < 0.05). Families of children with caries experience and lower social capital are 2.11 (95% CI: 1.40-3.19) and 3.55 (95% CI: 2.89-5.50) times more likely to show a higher impact on total OHRQoL (p < 0.05). Dental caries experience and lower individual social capital were associated with a higher impairment of the OHRQoL of children and their families in conditions of social vulnerability.

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