Oral Health-related Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Objective: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-threatening autosomal recessive disease among people of European heritage, with approximately 30,000 individuals affected in the United States. The purpose of this study was to compare oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) between young patients (8-12 years) and adolescents (13-17 years) with a CF diagnosis. Methods: Participants were recruited from a hospital-based CF center in Chicago, Illinois. Parents provided demographic information while patients completed the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) to assess OHRQoL. The COHIP includes 5 domains and a total score, with a higher score indicating a poorer OHRQoL. The study did not provide treatment intervention, thus two questions related to treatment were excluded. Statistically significant difference was set at p <.05. Results: Forty-one (41) pairs of surveys were returned, but two pairs were excluded due to missing data. The sample was 54% male, 85% Caucasian, and 54% adolescent, with 51% of families reporting an annual household income over $100,000. From parental reports, 67% of the patients had excellent or very good health; 93% taking 4 or more medications; 68% had excellent or very good oral health; and 82% of the younger and 59% of the adolescents had a dental visit within 6 months. Adolescents had a poorer score in social-emotional well-being (13.4 vs 10.1, p=.042), self-image (14.8 vs 12.3, p=.025) and total COHIP (67.5 vs 57.0, p=.032). Conclusions: Adolescents with CF reported a poorer OHRQoL than younger patients (P=<.05).