The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on November 5, 2009
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp179
Prevalence and determinants of oral impacts on daily performance: results from a survey among school children in Italy
Aida Bianco, Leonzio Fortunato, Carmelo Giuseppe Angelo Nobile and Maria PaviaChair of Hygiene, Medical School, University of Catanzaro Magna Græcia, Catanzaro, Italy
Correspondence: M. Pavia, Chair of Hygiene, Medical School, University of Catanzaro Magna Græcia, Via Tommaso Campanella, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy, tel: +39-961-712371, fax: +39-961-712382, e-mail: pavia{at}unicz.it
Received July 20, 2009 , accepted October 5, 2009
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.
Keywords: children, Child-OIDP, Italy, oral health, quality of life.