Individuals with special needs and their families' oral health-related quality of life.

Viviane Cancio,Saul Martins Paiva,Cristiane Baccin Bendo,Khawana Faker,Mônica Almeida Tostes

doi:10.1590/1807-3107bor-2018.vol32.0039

Viviane Cancio, Saul Martins Paiva + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107bor-2018.vol32.0039

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Abstract

To evaluate the impact of dental caries among Brazilian individuals with special health care needs (SHCN) on their families' oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). A cross-sectional study was carried out with a population-based sample of 227 subjects who were enrolled from the ACOLHER-PNE project conducted at the Fluminense Federal University. Parents/caregivers answered the Brazilian version of the 14-item Family Impact Scale (B-FIS) to assess the impact on family's quality of life (QoL). The main independent variable was dental caries experience, diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The DMFT/dmft score was categorized into 0 = caries free; 1-2 = low; 3-4 = moderate; and ≥ 5 = high experience. Mother's schooling, age, sex, SHCN conditions, and socioeconomic factors were the other independent variables. QoL was measured through FIS domains and total score. Statistical analyses was performed using the Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests and Poisson regression (p<0.05). The impact values observed in moderate and high caries experience were significantly higher than those found in subjects without caries and low level of parental emotions. Parents' years of schooling showed more impact on total score and on parental emotions. Older subjects showed significantly higher impact on total score and in all domains. The multivariate model demonstrated that families of older subjects (> 8 years old) experience a higher impact level compared to younger subjects (PR: 2.43; 95%CI: 1.80-3.29, p = 0.001). High caries experience and other socioeconomic factors were not associated with a greater negative impact on parents' QoL.

Highlights

Individuals with special health care needs (SHCN) may have pathologies of many origins, including congenital, genetic, infectious, physical, and toxic, or caused by poor diet and drug interactions during pregnancy, possibly resulting in speech, movement, and/or sensory disorders
Dental caries are more prevalent in older SHCN individuals and can be associated with a negative impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and adolescents.[4,5,6,7]
The patients were classified into six groups: 43 (18.9%) patients with syndromes, 111 (48.9%) with behavioral disorders, 5 (2.2%) with systemic diseases, (14.7%) with sensory disorders, (14.9%) with neurological disorders, and 1 (0.4%) with a contagious infection

Summary

Introduction

Individuals with special health care needs (SHCN) may have pathologies of many origins, including congenital, genetic, infectious, physical, and toxic, or caused by poor diet and drug interactions during pregnancy, possibly resulting in speech, movement, and/or sensory disorders. Such conditions cause medical and dental problems that compromise their quality of life, and these oral conditions may have an impact on family’s quality of life (QoL).[1,2,3]. This could lead to high caries severity and poorer OHRQoL.4,5.7 Limited access to dental care, high sugar intake, never going to the dentist, poor oral health, low health literacy, and limited use of fluoridated water are thought to be key factors for these health problems.[1,7,8]

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