title: Prevalence and determinants of oral impacts on daily performance: results from a survey among school children in Italy.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the measurement of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) should be an essential component of oral health surveys.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Catanzaro Magna Græcia, Via Tommaso Campanella, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: Leonzio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fortunato
authors.forename: Carmelo Giuseppe Angelo
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Nobile
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavia
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003753:Dental Health Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D003945:Diagnosis, Oral; D004032:Diet; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007558:Italy; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires