Abstract
Objective:
To evaluate factors associated with the caregivers’ perception of the oral health of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.
Material and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out with 80 children and adolescents with cerebral palsy aged 2-18 years, registered at a reference institution and their respective caregivers. Caregivers provided socioeconomic, systemic and health perception and access to dental services data. A calibrated researcher (Kappa=0.75-0.98) performed oral examinations using DMF-T, dmf-t, dental trauma, gingival bleeding index, community periodontal index, malocclusion index and the dental aesthetic index. The Poisson Regression was used (α=0.05)
Results:
According to the caregivers’ perception, the oral health reports of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy considered good and poor was 73.8% and 26.3%, respectively. The poor oral health perception is associated with the presence of dental caries in anterior teeth (PR 1.34, 95% CI=1.11-1.63) and bleeding during tooth brushing (PR 1.20, 95% CI=1.04-1.40)
Conclusion:
Children and adolescents with cerebral palsy who presented lesions of caries in the anterior teeth and gingival bleeding during tooth brushing, more frequently, had poor oral health by their caregivers.
Keywords:
Cerebral Palsy; Child; Adolescent; Oral Health; Caregivers