Parental perception of oral health related quality of life and barriers to access dental care among children with intellectual needs in Kottayam, central Kerala‐A cross sectional study

Abstract

To evaluate the parental perception of oral health related quality of life and barriers to access dental care among children with intellectual needs. Method: This cross sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 300 parents of children aged 4-12 years with intellectual needs (mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism). Data on oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) were collected with parental-caregivers perceptions questionnaire (P-CPQ). DMFT/dmft index was used to express caries prevalence as per World Health Organisation. Chi-squared test, analysis of variance, t-test and correlation were performed. Results: Parents of children who fell in the high severity DMFT category reported higher score in all four domains of OHRQoL when compared to low severity and moderate severity. Parents of children suffering from autism had higher score in all four domain of OHRQoL (p = .000).Majority of the parents rated their children's oral health as either fair (47%) or poor (42%). Predominant barriers for access dental care were financial difficulties (35.3%), lack of knowledge about dental care (24%), transportation difficulties (15%). Conclusion:The present study revealed that higher caries prevalence has negative impact on OHRQoL of children with intellectual needs and their parents faced certain barriers for accessing dental care. K E Y W O R D Saccess to dental care, children with intellectual needs, oral health, parental perception, quality of life INTRODUCTIONChildren represent the future of our society and ensuring their health ought to be the prime concern of all. Oral © 2021 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC health is a key indicator of overall health and wellbeing of children especially children with special health care needs (SHCN). American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry defines children with SHCN as any physical, developmental,

Parental perspectives on oral health‐related quality of life in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

“…The oral health status of children with ASD was investigated by eight of the included studies, 16,19,21–26,28 among which a majority of the studies (7/8) reported children with ASD to have a high caries prevalence. Cancio et al 26 .…”

“…The studies not using the PCPQ scale were assessed for similar domains and themes. Only two studies 27,22 reported higher scores in all four domains of OHRQoL (PCPQ), indicating a greater impact in all four. FL, EWB, and SWB domains were highlighted in a number of studies and showed a significant association with a poor OHRQoL, especially from the perception of parents.…”

“…The oral health status of children with ASD was investigated by eight of the included studies, 16,19,[21][22][23][24][25][26]28 among which a majority of the studies (7/8) reported children with ASD to have a high caries prevalence. Cancio et al 26 was the only study that found a lower caries experience in children with ASD when compared to controls, with no caries experience in 53.3% of primary teeth and 48% of permanent teeth.…”

Publication Trends Studies Involving Disabled Persons with Dental Care Needs: A 20-Year Bibliometric Analysis

“…An overview of oral health care and conditions is achieved through equalitarian access to quality care [17]. However, there is evidence of difficulties and barriers to access to health care services and a lack of professional training in providing care for disabled persons with dental care needs.…”

Navigating Oral Hygiene Challenges in Spastic Cerebral Palsy Patients: A Narrative Review for Management Strategies for Optimal Dental Care

“…Data was collected through a questionnaire known as P-CPQ. The findings indicated that parents of children falling into the high-severity DMFT category reported more elevated scores in the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) domains [ 27 ]. Selva et al (2022) focused on semi-structured forms to evaluate the barriers to access to oral hygiene care.…”