Dental caries (dental decay) is the most prevalent oral health problem affecting children worldwide and negatively impacting their quality of life. However, the long-term effects of diseases on the quality of life in the transition from childhood to adolescence have not been studied yet. In this publication, we evaluated for the first time the pathways for the impact of dental decay on the quality of life from childhood to adolescence. The manuscript was published on April 10th in the Quality of Life Research, a journal focused on studies of the effects of several diseases on people’s quality of life. The main conclusion is that dental caries negatively impacts children’s quality of life and carry this effect to adolescence through direct and indirect pathways, mainly through toothache.
A 10-year cohort study
This research is part of a cohort study initiated in 2012, conducted in a countryside city in Brazil, in a partnership between researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). It is part of the PhD thesis defended by Bruna Brondani under the supervision of Fausto M Mendes (USP/Radboudumc) and Thiago M Ardenghi (UFSM). In this cohort, 639 preschool children were assessed regarding dental caries, and information about oral hygiene habits, diet, and socioeconomic and psychosocial conditions was collected with their parents. Then, the study participants were followed up for ten years. Many papers have been published on risk factors for dental caries and its adverse effects since early childhood.
The next steps
The following steps of this project involve a collaboration with Marie-Charlotte Huysmans and Max Cenci, researchers of the Department of Dentistry of the Radboudumc. In this stage, prediction models using the data collected during these ten years will be developed through a machine-learning approach. These algorithms will be focused on the prediction of significant oral health outcomes. For example, one study is being conducted to create algorithms using predictors collected in early childhood to estimate the probability of occurrence of caries in the first permanent molars, which are the teeth more prone to be affected by caries. This algorithm will be helpful for a more accurate decision regarding which children should receive dental sealants, an effective but not cost-effective treatment to prevent caries in those teeth. These models will potentially aid public health decision-makers and managers in optimizing resource allocation for oral health across populations. The expertise of the researchers from the Department of Dentistry of the Radboudumc in developing studies across various domains of Artificial Intelligence in oral health will be crucial in advancing this research phase.
Publication
Brondani B, Knorst JK, Ardenghi TM, Mendes FM*. Pathway analysis between dental caries and oral health-related quality of life in the transition from childhood to adolescence: a 10-year cohort study. Qual Life Res. 2024 Apr 10. doi: 10.1007/s11136-024-03635-x
* Fausto M Mendes is a visiting professor in the Department of Dentistry at the Radboudumc (Grant # 2022/16528-3, FAPESP).
