Prevalence of oral impacts on daily performance among children in Moldova
18th Asia-Pacific Dental and Oral Care Congress
November 21-23, 2016 Melbourne, Australia

Aurelia Spinei, Olga Balteanu, Victor Grecu and Svetlana Plamadeala

State University of Medicine and Pharmacy ??Nicolae Testemitanu?, Republic of Moldova

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag

Abstract:

Objective: The objective of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence of oral health impact on quality of life in children in the Republic of Moldova. Methods: The sample included 619 children aged 12-15, who were clinically examined within the cross-sectional study. 297 children (48%) were from from urban areas and 322 (52%) from the countryside. Clinical data were collected according to World Health Organization??s criteria, and using the Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP) questionnaire. The written consent of children??s parents was taken for the study. SPSS vs.16.0 was used for descriptive and inferential analysis. Results: The prevalence of oral impacts on daily performances ranged between children in rural and urban areas (47.7%- 57.6%). The highest prevalence being recorded in children from rural areas (91 children-57.6%). Eating difficulty was a common impact in all groups of children, varying from 100 children (33.7%) in urban areas up to 124 children (38.5%) in rural areas (p<0.001). The main oral causes having an impact on daily life were: dental caries in 312 children (50.4%) and dental pain ?? in 228 (36.8%) children. The impact of extracted teeth on social contacts and aesthetic function was found in 66 children (20.5%) in rural areas. Conclusions: The prevalence of adverse effects of oral health on children`s daily life was moderate, the severity of effects being reduced. The main causes of these effects were dental caries, toothache and tooth extraction. Oral health influenced the life quality of children and had some effects on food consumption, oral cleanliness, emotional stability and aesthetic function.

Biography :

Aurelia Spinei has completed her PhD (in 2001) and Postdoctoral studies (in 2013) from State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “NicolaeTestemitanu”, Republic of Moldova.

Email: aurelia.spinei@usmf.md