Occlusal characteristics and oral health-related quality of life in preschool children.

PURPOSE: To describe the distribution of occlusal characteristics in the primary dentition and to evaluate their association with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) amongst preschool children. METHODS: A national cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 1783 preschool children aged 4-5 years attending public kindergartens in Kuwait. Occlusal characteristics were assessed clinically using standardised criteria. OHRQoL was evaluated using the Arabic version of the early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS). Malocclusion was defined as the presence of one or more of the following occlusal traits: anterior open bite, crossbite, increased or reverse overjet, crowding, and midline deviation. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The most common occlusal characteristics were mesial step molar relationship, Class I canine relationship and normal overjet and overbite. An anterior open bite was present in 9.0% of children, and an anterior crossbite in 4.5%. Malocclusion was associated with a statistically significant increase in the ECOHIS total score (β = 0.96; 95% CI 0.07, 1.85; p = 0.034). No significant associations were observed in the child or family domains. After adjustment, individual occlusal traits were not independently associated with OHRQoL (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Malocclusion in the primary dentition amongst preschool children was associated with a negative impact on overall oral health-related quality of life. Although statistically significant, the magnitude of the association was small relative to the ECOHIS scale range, suggesting limited clinical relevance. The most common occlusal characteristics were mesial step molar relationship, Class I canine relationship and normal overjet and overbite.