{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T22:10:19Z","timestamp":1787177419298,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,20]],"date-time":"2021-10-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1634688000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to assess the impact of dental caries\u2019 severity, body mass index (BMI), and sociodemographic factors on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) for special health care needs (SHCN) children and the suitability of their caregivers as proxies to determine OHRQoL. This cross-sectional study recruited 107 pairs of SHCN children and their caregivers and asked them to complete a questionnaire on sociodemographic issues as well as the Arabic version of the early childhood oral health impact scale (A-ECOHIS). This was followed by a dental examination. Dental caries was measured using the dmft\/DMFT index, while caries\u2019 severity was also determined. The children\u2019s height and weight were measured, and BMI (kg\/m2) was recorded. Data were analyzed statistically using t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Poisson regression models. Our results revealed that the A-ECOHIS score was 10.93, while the OHRQoL was affected in 95.3% of children. The most-reported item was \u2018pain in the teeth, mouth, or jaws\u2019 (48.7%). By regression analysis, caries-free children (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.650) or those who had moderate caries (OR: 0.551) were less likely to have a negative impact on their OHRQoL than those with severe caries. Additionally, those whose caregivers had a maximum primary education (OR: 0.656) or whose occupation was in the health sector (OR: 0.721) were less likely to have a negative impact on their OHRQoL. Those who were \u2264 6 years old (OR: 1.188) were more likely to have a negative impact. BMI did not have a significant impact on the OHRQoL of the children. Further, we detected a significant positive correlation between children\u2019s dmft\/DMFT scores and the A-ECOHIS scores reported by the mothers. Given these variables, which included dental caries\u2019 severity, but not BMI, and caregivers\u2019 education level and occupation, plus the child\u2019s age group, we found a significant impact on the OHRQoL. However, we found that mothers were better proxies for their children\u2019s OHRQoL.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm10214811","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,20]],"date-time":"2021-10-20T21:29:46Z","timestamp":1634765386000},"page":"4811","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Oral Health-Related Quality-of-Life According to Dental Caries Severity, Body Mass Index and Sociodemographic Indicators in Children with Special Health Care Needs"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Rawan Rasheed","family":"Alwattban","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dental Intern, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lama Saleh","family":"Alkhudhayr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dental Intern, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5210-5128","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanaa Najeh","family":"Al-Haj Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthodontic and Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3542-2775","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ra\u2019fat Ibrahim","family":"Farah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthetic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (2018). 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Dent."}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/10\/21\/4811\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T07:19:15Z","timestamp":1760167155000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/10\/21\/4811"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,20]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"21","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm10214811"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm10214811","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,20]]}}}