Perceived impact of oral health conditions among minority adolescents

Objectives: This study assessed the perceived impact of oral health conditi ons, and the relationship of two measures of self-reported outcome, the RAN D SF-36 and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), to clinical indicators o f oral health among inner-city adolescents. Methods: A convenience sample o f 93 minority adolescents completed the RAND SF-36 and the OHIP and 76 of t hem completed a clinical dental examination assessing DMFS. Results: Partic ipants averaged 14.4 (SD=1.2) years old; 52 percent were female; and 86 per cent were African-American. The mean DMFS was 8.8 (SD=6.3). Participants re ported relatively poor general health on the SF-36 as well as poor oral hea lth on the OHIP. None of the SF-36 subscales were significantly related to DMFS. OHIP subscales were consistently related to DMFS-those with worse ora l health reported more impacts. With the exception of the bodily pain subsc ale of the SF-36, the SF-36 and OHIP subscales were significantly correlate d with Pearson's correlations ranging from -.21 to -.57(P<.05). Conclusions : Although the SF-36 and the OHIP were correlated, the OHIP appears to be m ore highly associated with the impacts of oral health conditions than the S F-36 among inner-city adolescents who reported low general and oral health qualify of life.