Background and Aims: Oral health is recognized as an integral component of general health andlike other health aspects, can significantly impact the quality of life of both the individual and their family. Due to their rapid physical and psychological development, children are particularly vulnerable to the adverse consequences of oral health problems. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of children's oral health on family quality of life and the factors influencing this relationship among children under six years old in Qazvin, Iran.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the parents of 80 six-year-old children in Qazvin city in 2022. A convenience sampling method was employed, recruiting participants from among those attending the Dental School of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Initially, the child's demographic information (age, gender, birth order, and family socioeconomic status) was collected from the parents. Subsequently, they completed the Family Impact Scale (FIS) questionnaire. This questionnaire assesses the impact of a child's oral and dental problems on the family, utilizing four subscales. Subsequently, questions were asked regarding general health, oral and dental health, dental visits, and the services received. The collected data were then analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics including variance, Pearson correlation, and T tests.
Results: 80 parents were enrolled in the study of whom 39 had a son and 41 had a daughter. The mean age of the studied children was 4.72±1.06 years, with an age range of 3 years (the youngest being 3 and the oldest 6 years old). Among the dimensions of family quality of life (FIS), the family finances subscale had the highest mean score (0.53 ± 0.68), while the family conflict subscale had the lowest (0.73±0.44). The overall mean score for family quality of life was 0.52±0.6. No statistically significant relationship was found between the outcome variable (oral health-related quality of life) and the independent variable of family economic status (P>0.05). However, a statistically significant relationship was observed with the independent variable of the child's birth order (P=0.002), indicating that the impact of the child's oral health on family quality of life would increase with a higher birth order. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the child's age and two subscales of family quality of life: family activity (P=0.03) and family conflict (P=0.006). Specifically, a younger child's age was associated with a greater impact of their oral health on the family's quality of life. There was a significant relationship between the child's general health and oral/dental health from the parents' perspective and the impact of the obtained FIS score (P=0.001 and P=0.04, respectively).
Conclusion: The findings indicated that a child's oral health status could impact the family quality of life, and this impact was associated with the child's age and birth order.
