Objective:

The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale in preschoolers was developed and validated in the United States to measure the impact of oral health on the quality of life of these children and their families. The aim of the present study was to apply this survey in Chilean preschoolers.

Methods:

The survey was applied to parents or carers of 100 preschoolers between the ages of 3 and 5.

Results:

According to the perception of the primary carer about the quality of life of the preschooler and its relation with oral health, through the survey, the answers that most affected the quality of life of the children were; tooth, mouth or jaw pain, difficulty to eat food and absence from educational activities. Regarding the impact on the family quality of life, the most frequent answers were the negative items related to feeling of guilt and state of concern.

Conclusions:

The results determined that the instrument is a valid tool to evaluate the quality of life and its relation with oral health in the Chilean population.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )