Introduction:

Childhood dental caries is a public health problem in Ecuador. Children aged 3-5 years with deciduous dental caries experience unpleasant symptoms such as pain while eating or sleeping, mood changes and school absenteeism, all of which has a negative impact on their quality of life. The key role played by parents in the oral care of their children is often determined by their educational level.

Objective:

Determine the impact of oral health on the quality of life of preschoolers aged under 5 years as evaluated by their parents or guardians and in relation to their educational level.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted of 382 parents and/or guardians of preschool children aged 3-5 years from four Ecuadorian provinces selected by convenience sampling, who gave their informed consent and answered the ECOHIS (Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale) survey, Spanish version, which assesses the relationship between oral health and quality of life among preschoolers. The surveys were identified with codes. The data collected were transferred onto Excel tables and analyzed with the free software R.V3.4.1 using likelihood ratios at 14.7% equivalent to 95% confidence intervals for proportions, as well as the chi-square statistical test.

Results:

The following significance levels were obtained: for pain as reported by children (p=0.152), for difficulty when drinking (p= 0.003), eating (p= 0.03), smiling (p= 0.002), speaking (p= 0.09), and for economic impact associated to oral health problems (p= 0.003).

Conclusions:

An association was found between the educational level of parents and their perception of the influence of oral health upon the quality of life of their children.

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