Impact of oral diseases on daily activities among 12- to 15-year-old institutionalized orphan and non-orphan children in Bengaluru city: A cross-sectional analytical study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

As parents are the primary decision-makers of child's health, a study was conducted to assess and compare the oral health status and impact of oral diseases on daily activities among 12- to 15-year-old institutionalized orphan and non-orphan children in Bengaluru city.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 210 orphans and 210 government school children living with parents. Data with regard to the impact of oral diseases on daily activities were collected by means of Child Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (C-OIDP) index, and oral health status was determined using WHO Oral Health Assessment Form 1997.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Descriptive statistics of the key variables were reported and data were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, One-way analysis of variance and Step-wise multiple linear regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05 for this study.

RESULTS

Common oral health problems perceived by orphans and non-orphans were bleeding gums (16.8% and 12.4%) and toothache (12.7% and 13.7%), respectively. The daily performances most affected were cleaning mouth (33.3%; orphans 5.35 ± 4.22; non-orphans 7.05 ± 7.55; P = 0.000) and eating (33.1%; orphans 6.91 ± 6.09; non-orphans 7.07 ± 6.78; P = 0.003). Oral mucosal condition, dental fluorosis, dentofacial anomalies, and calculus showed significant difference among orphans and non-orphans (P = 0.000).

CONCLUSION

C-OIDP score was high in orphans. Age, dental fluorosis, and decayed teeth were the significant factors for determining C-OIDP score. More than half of the study subjects were suffering from oral diseases which required treatment to improve their quality of life.