Agreement between adolescents' and their mothers' reports of oral health-related quality of life

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the level of agreement between reports by adolescents and their mothers regarding the impact of oral health on the adolescents' quality of life. The sample consisted of 960 pairs of adolescents aged 11 to 14 years and their mothers. The Brazilian version of the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and the short form of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) were administered. Agreement on the total scale and the subscales was determined through a comparison of mean values. The means of the directional and absolute differences were also determined. Agreement on each item on the group level and in the individual pairs was analyzed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The difference between the means and the directional differences were significant for the total score as well as for the functional limitation and social well-being subscales (p < 0.001). The ICC for the total P-CPQ and CPQ11-14 scores was 0.43. The ICC indicated weak agreement on the subscales, ranging from 0.36 to 0.40. Agreement between reports by adolescents and their mothers regarding oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was moderate, indicating that both perspectives should be considered.

Keywords

• Proxy
• Mothers
• Adolescent
• Oral Health
• Quality of Life