Agreement Between Reports of Parents and Children About Children's Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

Objective: To assess agreement between reports of parents and children about children's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Material and Methods: A total of 50 pairs of preschool-aged children, aged 5-6 years and their parents, who sought dental care at the Faculty of Dentistry of the Federal University of Amazonas, answered the Brazilian version of the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5). SOHO-5 was completed through face-to-face independent interviews. A specific instrument containing information about demographics and socioeconomic conditions of children and their families was also applied to parents. Children's oral examinations were performed for the diagnosis of dental caries (dmft). The agreement between total and items scores was evaluated using the means comparison and the correlation analysis, calculated by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Results: There was a significant difference between the means of parent-child reports in total scores (p=0.0028) and items associated with difficulty speaking (p=0.038) and difficulty playing (p=0.0034). Children reported worse OHRQoL than their caregivers, suggesting different perceptions between them. The ICC for the total score of parent-child reports was 0.44 (95% CI, 0.02-0.68). Higher SOHO-5 scores were found in children with dental caries experience. Conclusion: Moderate agreement was observed, suggesting that the reports of parents should be complementary to those of preschool children about the OHRQoL, allowing the clinician to make the best treatment decision, according to the different views and expectations of both.