Oral health-related quality of life improves in employees with disabilities following a workplace dental intervention

Abstract

Please cite this article as: Pradhan, Archana., Keuskamp, Dominic., & Brennan, David., Oral health-related quality of life improves in employees with disabilities following a workplace dental intervention.Evaluation and Program Planning http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.07.003 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. ABSTRACTThis pilot study evaluated a dental intervention for employees with disabilities by measuring changes in self-rated oral health, dental behaviours and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQol). Consenting employees with disabilities (≥ 18 years) at two worksites in South Australia underwent dental examinations at baseline, three and six months. Referrals were arranged as needed to public dental clinics. At one and two months a dental hygienist provided group oral health education to the employees.Employees" demographics, self-rated oral health, dental behaviours and OHRQol were collected via face-to-face interviews. Of the 39 referred employees, 28 (72%) of them completed the recommended treatment. Self-rated oral health improved and there were significant reductions in the prevalence of oral health impact on quality of life (percentage of employees reporting 1+ items fairly/very often) from 27% to 11% (McNemar"s test, p<0.05); the extent of impact (mean number of items reported fairly/very often) from 1.3 to 0.6 and the severity of impact (mean of summed OHIP item scores) from 3.6 to 1.8 (paired t tests, p<0.01). As this pilot study indicates that enabling urgent referral for treatment and regular oral health education can improve OHRQol and self-rated oral health among employees with disabilities, a larger study with a control group should be undertaken.

Characterization of oral health in a Portuguese population with mild intellectual disability

“…This does not seem to be in line with the results obtained in our study, where 75.2% of the population stated that they felt the need for some type of treatment. This value is similar to that found by Pradhan et al in a population of people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities (64%), but clearly higher than those found in other studies on elderly populations without disabilities (39.4%).…”

“…Compared to other populations with disabilities, Liu et al and Pradhan et al found that 76.4% and 73% of the respondents, respectively, had not visited the dentist in the last year, similar to estimates for other disadvantaged groups, such as the homeless, but considerably higher than those of our study, possibly due to differences in sample composition. Pan et al also observed that 78% of the individuals with disability did not undergo regular appointments every 6 months, like our sample, in which 71.6% of the individuals had not visited the dentist in the last 6 months.…”

Does a facilitated pathway improve access to dental services for homeless and disadvantaged adults?

“…appointments this indicates that for majority, this method of scheduling appointments via community organisations was appropriate. The facilitated access pathway piloted may be an effective way to increase access to public dental services for disadvantaged adults and improve oral health related outcomes such as quality of life (Pradhan, Keuskamp, & Brennan, 2016).…”

Estudo comparativo de comportamentos e autoperceção em saúde oral de populações adultas com e sem deficiência intelectual

“…No nosso estudo foi também observada uma menor percentagem de visitas ao consultório médico -dentário nos indivíduos com deficiência (28,4% vs 59,2%) possivelmente devido às inúmeras barreiras que esta população encontra no acesso a adequados cuidados de saúde oral, desde condicionantes intrínsecas, socioeconómicas, barreiras relativas à acessibilidade e à reduzida perceção acerca da importância da saúde oral. 9 Também Liu et al 26 e Pradhan et al 27 observaram que 76,4% e 73% dos inquiridos, respetivamente, não visitaram o médico dentista no último ano, valores estes próximos das estimativas para outros grupos desfavorecidos, como é o caso dos sem -abrigo. 27 A ausência de perceção da necessidade de tratamento como principal causa para não visitar regularmente o médico dentista foi também referida.…”