Relationship among different levels of individual and community social capital with oral health related-quality of life among adolescents

Aim: To evaluate the relationship of different levels of social capital with oral health-related adolescents' quality of life (OHRQoL).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort study started in 2010 with a sample of children 1 to 5 years old from Brazil. Individuals were followed after 10 years, data which was considered in this study (11 to 15 years old). OHRQoL was evaluated by the short version of CPQ11-14. Individual social capital (ISC) was assessed through the presence of individual social networks and social trust. Community social capital (CSC) was assessed through the presence of voluntary institutions, community cultural centers or residents' associations. For both ISC and CSC, the participants were classified as with high social capital (at least one source) or low social capital (absence of any source). Adjusted Poisson Regression analysis was performed to verify the interaction of different levels of social capital and OHRQoL. Results are present in Rate Ratio (RR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI).

Results: A total of 429 adolescents were evaluated. Adolescents with low CSC and low ISC presented CPQ11-14 scores 36 % higher (RR 1.36 95 %CI 1.15-1.62) than counterparts who presented higher social capital levels. The interaction among high and low levels of social capital was not associated with CPQ11-14 scores, indicating that no level stands out over the other.

Conclusion: Only the total absence of both levels of social capital negatively related with OHRQoL, indicating the importance of the presence of at least one source of social capital.

Clinical relevance: The findings show that social capital affects OHRQoL, a crucial psychosocial aspect considering the clinical practice.