Impact Produced by Oral Disorders on the Quality of Life of Brazilian Adolescents

Objective: To verify the impact produced by oral disorders on the quality of life of adolescents. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a random sample of 680 individuals aged 15-19 years from public schools of Vitoria, Brazil. The impact was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP 14). Data were descriptively analyzed and then univariate analyses were performed with the Chi-square test and Fischer's exact test. The Mantel-Haenzsel test was used to evaluate the effects of the combined dimensions and Odds Ratio to evaluate the strength of the association. Logistic regression models were adjusted for each OHIP dimension. Results: The impact on the quality of life was 26.2%, more frequently in the psychological discomfort dimension. The highest perception of impact was in female subjects, in physical pain (p=0.009, OR=1.998) and psychological discomfort dimensions (p=0.050, OR=1.495). In variable maternal education, children of mothers with only complete elementary education are 1.6 times more likely to have an impact on the quality of life in the psychological discomfort dimension (OR=1.6 95% CI=1.037, 2.474). Halitosis was the independent variable with the highest frequency of impact in the combined Mantel-Haenszel test, and OR was found to be 2.81 (95% CI=1.670, 3.366) for individuals who perceive halitosis. In the logistic regression analysis in the seven OHIP dimensions, the results confirm that the variables that explain impact are gender (p=0.035, OR=1.502) and halitosis (p<0.001, OR=2.365). Conclusion: Oral health problems significantly affect the quality of life of adolescents and that subjective indicators are important tools to determine the need for treatment, improving oral health and quality of life of this population.