Caracterização da saúde oral de famílias acompanhadas pela Cáritas Viseu

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries is still one of the most common diseases in
childhood, with significant impacts on children and their families, which can lead
to early tooth loss. Oral diseases affect a large part of the population, influence
levels of health, well-being and quality of life. More effective measures are needed to apply to children, covering their psychosocial, family and social context. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with a sample of 32 children in families supported by Caritas Diocesana de Viseu and who study in the Grouping of Schools Infante D. Henrique, aged 12 years or less. Data collections were performed through questionnaires validated in Portuguese and dental clinical examination, to verify if the oral problem has an impact on the quality of life of the child and his/her family. Results: For n=32, the mean age was 7.72 years, with a predominance of
males with 53.17% and residents in 44.75% in a village in Viseu district, where
50% do not brush or brush teeth once a day, 87.5% do not have the habit of using dental floss. And in the last 12 months, 65.6% were not or never were the
consultation with dentist. DMFT=4.87, with a prevalence of 87.5% of children
examined with oral problems. The impact of oral health on the quality of life of
children and its repercussion on the family through the domains addressed by
the ECOHIS instrument, 90.62% had some limitation caused by oral problems.
Anguish of parents caused by oral problems in their children occurred 43.75%
of the sample. Conclusions: Evaluating families, especially vulnerable families, allows establishing a bond that improves proximity to these families. Thus, it is
essential to be close to the community so that it can perform a better and more
appropriate assessment of its real needs. Thus, we suggest that further studies
be conducted so that it can better represent the community described here, and
that it is representative of the whole community.

Date of Award	15 Jul 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nélio Jorge Veiga (Supervisor) & Maria José Correia (Co-Supervisor)