Use of P-CPQ to measure the impact of oral health on the quality of life of children with special health care needs

Abstract

Introduction and objective: the WHO defined the concept of quality of life as the self-perception that the individual has about his position in the social, cultural and ideological context, being these factors the main responsible for denoting the worst parameters regarding oral health care during the dental clinical examination performed by the dentist. To evaluate the impact of oral health on the quality of life of children with special health care needs aged 7 to 14 years old and the influence of different types of specialties on the quality of life, in the view of parents/caregivers in the Brazil southeast region. Materials and methods: the sample was composed of 62 children enrolled in municipal public schools and the Association of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional. The validated Parental- Caregivers Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ) was used as an instrument for data collection, applied in the home environment and answered by the main responsible. The relation between demographic factors, type of special need and P-CPQ was evaluated with alpha of 0.05. Results: the worst parameters in Family Impact Scale were observed when the mother and father was responsible for data transmission (p= 0.004). Oral health was associated with the worst parameters of oral symptoms on quality of life in the view of parents (p = 0.012). There was no statistically significant difference regarding the impact of the child's type of specialty on quality of life. Conclusion: the variables caregiver and oral health status child are related to the worst indicators regarding the impact of oral health on quality of life.