Tools to assess the impact of oral health on quality of life in preschool children

Aim. This article aims to identify currently available instruments for assessing the impact of oral health on quality of life in preschool-aged children, to present their content and psychometric properties, and to provide the most up-to-date summary of the topic for use in practice or further research.

Material and methods. he method of literature review was chosen. PubMed, EBSCOhost, CINAHL, and ProQuest databases were searched. First, original questionnaires were identified and then studies from 2018 to 2023 that presented cultural adaptation of the original instruments including their psychometric properties were retrieved.

Results. Eighteen studies reporting the results of cultural adaptations of eight indigenous instruments were identified. The instruments differ in the number of questions and their content. The most preferred instrument for assessing the impact of oral health on the quality of life in preschool children is the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale, which also has excellent psychometric properties.

Conclusions. This article provides an up-to-date overview of the available tools for assessing the quality of life of preschool children in the context of their oral health, including content and psychometric properties, thus allowing the selection of a relevant tool for use in practice.