Prevalence and determinants of oral impacts on daily performance: results from a survey among school children in Italy

BACKGROUND: The use of health status measures to assess health-related quality of life is not widespread. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence, characteristics and severity of oral impacts on health using the Child-Oral Impact on Daily Performance (Child-OIDP). METHODS: The survey was conducted on 11-16 years old randomly selected students in Catanzaro. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, an interview for the calculation of Child-OIDP and the Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) and an oral examination. RESULTS: Only 5.5% out of 530 children did not report any dental problem in the previous 3 months and 66.8% had experienced dental impacts according to the Child-OIDP. Sex, fruit intake frequency, mouthwash habits and IOTN AC score assessed by dentist were significant risk factors for dental impacts. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the measurement of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) should be an essential component of oral health surveys.