Survey on Oral Health Education Knowledge of Family Members and Health Workers Dedicated to Patients with Disabilities

Abstract

Objective Over a billion people in the world live with some form of disability and this figure is destined to grow due to the increase in life expectancy. As consequence, the caregiver is taking on an increasingly important role that gains relevance also in the field of oral-dental prevention, being able to promptly identify needs for medical treatment. In some cases, however, the caregiver can be an obstacle to consider in case of a lack of adequate knowledge and commitment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the caregiver level of oral education comparing family members and health workers dedicated to people with disabilities knowledge.

Materials and Methods Anonymous questionnaires were distributed in five disability service centers and filled alternatively by family members of patients with disability and disability service centers health workers.

Results Two-hundred fifty questionnaires were collected, of which 100 were filled in by family members and 150 by health workers. Data were analyzed by applying the chi-squared (X2) independence test and the pairwise method for missing data.

Conclusion Family members oral education appears better in terms of brushing frequency, toothbrush replacement, and number of dental visits.

Keywords

Special Dentistry - health workers - oral hygiene - disabilities

Ethical Approval Statement

Ethical approval was waived by the local Ethics Committee; all patients gave their informed consent prior to the inclusion in the study.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023

• References

• 1 WHO. World Health Organization. World report on disability. Lancet 2011; 377 (9782) 1977
• 2 Istat. Conoscere Il Mondo Della Disabilità: Persone, Relazioni e Istituzioni (2019)
• 3 Mace SE, Sharieff G, Bern A. et al. Pediatric issues in disaster management, part 3: special healthcare needs patients and mental health issues. Am J Disaster Med 2010; 5 (05) 261-274
• 4 Blum IR. Special care dentistry: considerations for the primary care dental Team. Prim Dent J 2020; 9 (02) 2
• 5 Ludovichetti FS, Zuccon A, Zambon G. et al. Pain perception in paediatric patients: evaluation of computerised anaesthesia delivery system vs conventional infiltration anaesthesia in paediatric patients. Eur J Paediatr Dent 2022; 23 (02) 153-156
• 6 da Cunha LD, Proença MAM, Rodrigues VP, Pereira AFV, Benatti BB. Relationship between periodontal status and degree of visual impairment in institutionalized individuals. Eur J Dent 2015; 9 (03) 324-328
• 7 Makkar A, Indushekar KR, Saraf BG, Sardana D, Sheoran N. A cross sectional study to evaluate the oral health status of children with intellectual disabilities in the National Capital Region of India (Delhi-NCR). J Intellect Disabil Res 2019; 63 (01) 31-39
• 8 Ludovichetti FS, Signoriello AG, Girotto L, Del Dot L, Piovan S, Mazzoleni S. Oro-dental lesions in pediatric patients with celiac disease: an observational retrospective clinical study. Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2022; 114 (11) 654-659
• 9 McCullagh E, Brigstocke G, Donaldson N, Kalra L. Determinants of caregiving burden and quality of life in caregivers of stroke patients. Stroke 2005; 36 (10) 2181-2186
• 10 Glassman P, Subar P. Improving and maintaining oral health for people with special needs. Dent Clin North Am 2008; 52 (02) 447-461, viii viii.
• 11 Haavio ML. Oral health care of the mentally retarded and other persons with disabilities in the Nordic countries: present situation and plans for the future. Spec Care Dentist 1995; 15 (02) 65-69
• 12 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Oral Health Coordinating Committee. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Oral Health Strategic Framework, 2014-2017. Public Health Rep 2016; 131 (02) 242-257
• 13 Altun C, Guven G, Akgun OM, Akkurt MD, Basak F, Akbulut E. Oral health status of disabled individuals attending special schools. Eur J Dent 2010; 4 (04) 361-366
• 14 Kendall NP. Oral health of a group of non-institutionalised mentally handicapped adults in the UK. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1991; 19 (06) 357-359
• 15 Rodríguez Vázquez C, Garcillan R, Rioboo R, Bratos E. Prevalence of dental caries in an adult population with mental disabilities in Spain. Spec Care Dentist 2002; 22 (02) 65-69
• 16 Sanjay V, Shetty SM, Shetty RG, Managoli NA, Gugawad SC, Hitesh D. Dental health status among sensory impaired and blind institutionalized children aged 6 to 20 years. J Int Oral Health 2014; 6 (01) 55-58
• 17 Choudhary S, Kumar A, Arora H. Correlation of patient's mental attitude with age, sex, and educational level: a survey. Eur J Dent 2016; 10 (01) 23-28
• 18 Sanderson KA, Burke MM, Urbano RC, Arnold CK, Hodapp RM. Who helps? Characteristics and correlates of informal supporters to adults with disabilities. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 2017; 122 (06) 492-510
• 19 Petrovic BB, Peric TO, Markovic DLJ. et al. Unmet oral health needs among persons with intellectual disability. Res Dev Disabil 2016; 59: 370-377
• 20 Shah AH, Naseem M, Khan MS. et al. Oral health knowledge and attitude among caregivers of special needs patients at a comprehensive rehabilitation centre: an analytical study. Ann Stomatol (Roma) 2018; 8 (03) 110-116
• 21 Pakpour AH, Gellert P, Asefzadeh S, Sniehotta FF. Planning predicts dental service attendance and the effect is moderated by dental anxiety and educational status: findings from a one-year prospective study. Appl Psychol Health Well-Being 2014; 6 (02) 214-229
• 22 Lai HT, Kung PT, Su HP, Tsai WC. Examining related influential factors for dental calculus scaling utilization among people with disabilities in Taiwan, a nationwide population-based study. Res Dev Disabil 2014; 35 (09) 2231-2240
• 23 Ningrum V, Wang WC, Liao HE, Bakar A, Shih YH. A special needs dentistry study of institutionalized individuals with intellectual disability in West Sumatra Indonesia. Sci Rep 2020; 10 (01) 153