Oral Health Related Quality of Life among Malaysian Rural Children: A Study Using Child-OIDP Index

Abstract

Introduction: Dental disorders are reported to cause significant effects on overall quality of life (QoL). The aim of the present study was to measure the prevalence of oral impacts on daily activities and Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) among 12–16-year-old children in a rural school in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 195 participants age group 12-16 years. A pre-tested structured ‘A Malay version of Child Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (Child-OIDP)’ questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The data obtained was coded and subjected to statistical analysis. The mean OIDP scores were calculated for gender and age differences. Impacts on the 8 daily activities due to oral health problems were expressed as frequency and percentages. Results: The study population consisted of 195 participants with 49.7% (n=97) boys and 50.3% (n=98) girls. The study showed that the most prevalent impacts were difficulty in eating at 38.5%, difficulty in cleaning their teeth at 37.9% and difficulty in smiling and laughing at 29.2%. There was no significant difference between genders and age groups(p<0.05). The frequency of the impact was with a sizeable number reporting being affected once or twice a week and at moderate severity. The main conditions causing the impact were decayed teeth (38.2%), tooth ache (32.8%) and mouth ulcers (25.6%). Conclusion: A sizeable number of schoolchildren reported an impact to their OHRQoL in terms of disruption to performing one or more of the eight daily activities due to oral health problems.