Oral impact on daily performance in Iranian adults

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalen ce and severity of oral impact on daily performance (OIDP) in adults attending dental clini cs in the city of Kerman, Iran. METHODS: In 2010, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 400 patients (age 20-50 years) referrin g to dental centers in Kerman. Validated OIDP inventory was used to collect data. Clinical examination was also carried out by a trained interviewer. Analysis of variance (ANO VA) and Student’s t-test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Oral and dental diseases affected at least one dai ly activity of all participants (100%) during the s ix months prior to the study. The mean OIDP score of the subj ects was 19% ± 12%. The most common affected activi ty was eating (92.6%). The most prevalently reported oral problem was dental caries (65.3%). Subjects who had better dental hygiene (tooth brushing and flossing habits) were m ore likely to have lower OIDP score (P = 0.001 for brushing; P = 0.002 for flossing). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that people who att ended dental clinics had at least one oral/dental problem that affected their daily performance. Sinc e the prevalence of OIDP was very high, providing m ore dental care and services is required