The Relationship between Quality of Life Related to Oral Health Status in 8-10-year-old students in Shiraz during 2016-2017

Oral health affects not only the oral cavity but also the physical, mental and physical condition of children. Untreated dental caries in children gives us a rational view of how a child's growth, and quality of life are. Given the high prevalence of oral problems in children, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of life associated with oral health in 8-10-year-old children in Shiraz.

The present study is a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional one. For this study, 315 students from 8 to 10 years old in the city of Shiraz in the year 2017 from the 4 regions were selected using stratified and cluster sampling - . After obtaining written consent from parents, children were interviewed about demographic characteristics and the impact of oral problems on daily activities (child-OIDP = Oral impact on daily performance). Then PUFA/pufa (pulp-ulcer-fistula-abscess) index was determined. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.22 and Pearson correlation test, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA and linear regression at a significant level of 0.05.

315 students were studied, including 154 boys (48.9%) and 161 girls (51.1%). 69.8% of children had experienced at least one oral problem in their daily activities during the past three months. The biggest problem for children was eating (30.7%). Most of the problems were due to pain and bleeding from the gums (34.8%). The child-OIDP quality of life index had no significant relationship with the age of the children studied (p = 0.43). There was a significant relationship between mean child-OIDP index and untreated caries index (pufa) (p = 0.001) and the total untreated caries index (PUFA + pufa) (p = 0.001).

The present study showed the significant impact of oral diseases on reducing the quality of life in children. To improve the quality of life associated with oral health in children, measures should be taken to prevent oral diseases and to improve their access to health care.