Prevalence of oral health-related shame and associated factors among Brazilian schoolchildren

Braz Oral Res. 2021 Dec 17:35:e133. doi: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2021.vol35.0133. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of oral health-related shame and the associated factors among 8-to-10-year-old Brazilian schoolchildren. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 388 children randomly selected from public and private schools of Diamantina, southeastern Brazil. In order to identify the feeling of shame, self-reports were collected through a single question, "In the last month, did you feel ashamed because of your teeth or mouth? Two calibrated examiners performed the clinical examination for dental caries (DMFT/dmft index), traumatic dental injuries (O' Brien), and malocclusion (Dental Aesthetic Index). Sociodemographic indicators were obtained through a questionnaire answered by the children's caregivers. Descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and hierarchical Poisson regression models were performed (95%CI; p < 0.05). The prevalence of shame was 38.1% (n = 148). The adjusted regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between shame and untreated dental caries (PR: 1.34; 95%CI: 1.04-1.74; p = 0.02), age of 10 years (PR: 1.36; 95%CI: 1.05-1.76; p = 0.01), and with parents with less than eight years of schooling (PR: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.00-1.68; p = 0.04). Older children with untreated dental caries and whose parents had lower education level presented a higher prevalence of oral health-related shame.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • DMF Index
  • Dental Caries* / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Oral Health*
  • Prevalence
  • Quality of Life
  • Shame
  • Surveys and Questionnaires