Family Affluence Based Inequality in Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in a Population of Lithuanian Adolescents

Abstract

Background: The social inequalities in oral health have had increasing attention in recent years. The present study aimed to explore the impact of family affluence on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) among Lithuanian adolescents aged 11-18 years.

Methods: The cross-sectional, population-based study included a representative sample of 881 adolescents aged 11-18 years (mean = 15.55; SD = 1.51) randomly selected from 20 schools in Lithuania. The schoolchildren completed questionnaires to evaluate their OHRQoL using a Lithuanian version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ). The adolescents' family affluence was indirectly assessed by inquiring whether they possessed various modern life items. In dental examination, the severity of malocclusion was predetermined by the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need (ICON). The relationship among variables was examined employing the negative binomial regression and the path analysis.

Results: The sum score of CPQ as a whole and the sum scores of all four domains were significantly associated with family affluence, indicating higher OHRQoL among adolescents from more affluent families. The severity of malocclusion had a significant association with emotional and social well-being domains of OHRQoL only.

Conclusion: This study evidences the family affluence based inequality in OHRQoL among Lithuanian adolescents.

Keywords: Lithuania; adolescents; child perceptions questionnaire; family affluence; malocclusion; oral health-related quality of life; social inequality in health.

Figure 1

Path diagrams representing the strength of association among FAS, ICON, and the sum scores of the CPQ by CPQ domains (oral symptoms (OS), functional limitations (FL), emotional well-being (EWB), and social well-being (SWB)) and the CPQ as a whole, adjusted by gender and age.