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Introduction: The importance of assessing the oral health related quality of life in children has been highlighted but very few studies have been conducted on child populations. Primary school children represent the major focus of dental public health research and practice. It is necessary to assess the characteristics and severity of impacts of oral health in primary school children as well as to identify subgroups of children with oral health needs in terms of prevention, treatment and oral health promotion.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of oral health on daily performance among 10-12 year-old school children in Mangalore.

Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in primary school children of the municipal area of Mangalore, Karnataka, using the Child-Oral Impact on Daily Performance instrument and WHO Oral Health Assessment Proforma (1997) to assess the impacts of oral health on daily performance.

Result: About 55% of children had one or more oral impacts. The overall mean impact score was 3.15 ± 4.4. The extent of impact varied from 1 to 4 performances with impacts. Impacts on eating were the most prevalent (56.8%), followed by cleaning teeth (45.1%). The impacts were mostly very little (35%) and moderate (34%). The more prevalent problems leading to impacts were tooth decay (62.7%), toothache (53%), sensitive tooth (40 .7%), bleeding gums (40.7%) and exfoliating primary teeth (34.8%). Oral conditions that related to appearance also frequently affected children; color of teeth (40.2%), position of tooth (32.1%), calculus (31.5%) and tooth space (20.7%).

Conclusion: The study reveals that impacts of oral health on daily performance of 10-12 year-old school children in Mangalore were prevalent, but not severe. The impacts were mainly related to difficulty in eating and smiling. Toothache, oral ulcers and natural processes contributed largely to the incidence of oral impacts.

Oral health; oral impacts; quality of life; school children.