Prevalence of oral impacts on daily performance among children in Moldova

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