Effect of Self-perceived Oral Habits on Orofacial Dysfunction and Oral Health-related Quality of Life Among a Group of Egyptian Children: a Cohort Study

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between OHRQoL and orofacial dysfunction in children practicing oral habits.

Methods: Thirty Egyptian Children, aged from five to seven years, practicing oral habits (habit practicing/exposed group), were examined for orofacial dysfunction using Nordic Orofacial Test-Screen (NOT-S). Their parents were asked to fill 8-item Parental-Caregiver Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ), translated to Arabic, as an assessment tool for their children's OHRQoL. The scores of the habit practicing group were compared to those obtained from another 30 children with matched criteria not practicing oral habits (habit free/ control group).

Results: Children in the exposure group showed higher total NOT-S score (median 3, range 1-5) and higher P-CPQ (median 6, range 1-16) than the control group (median 0.5, range 0-2) and (median 4, range 1-8), with a statistical significance (p = 0.00, p = 0.014), respectively. A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was found between OHRQoL and orofacial dysfunction in the habit practicing group, (R = 0.384, p = 0.036). The exposure group was found to be 7.4 and 1.5 times the control group in developing orofacial dysfunction, and having inferior OHRQoL, respectively.

Conclusion: An existing association between the degree of orofacial dysfunction and OHRQoL in children practicing oral habit(s) is suggested.

Trial Registration Number: NCT04575792, date of registration: 26/9/2020, first posted (approved): 5/10/2020.