Parental perceptions of oral health-related quality of life of Brazilian children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Objective:This paper aimed to assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using the parental/caregiver perceptions questionnaire (PCPQ). Materials and methods: Children aged 2 to 14 years, enrolled in the ACOLHER/PNE project at the Fluminense Federal University, RJ, Brazil, were assessed. The main independent variable was dental caries experience, diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The variable was categorized as caries-free when dmft/DMFT=0 and caries experience when dmft/DMFT ≥ 1. Caregiver schooling, age, sex, and socioeconomic factors (Brazilian minimum wage – BMW) were the other independent variables. Quality of life (QoL) was measured using PCPQ subscales and total score. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and multivariate Poisson regression correlation analysis were performed. Results: The median age of patients was 8 (SD= 3.76). The study group consisted of 57 (76.0%) males and 18 (24.0%) females. Fifty parents (66.7%) have more than eight years of education and 35 (46.7%) earn less than 2 BWM. The impact values were significantly higher in male individuals in the oral symptoms (OS) domain and in individuals without caries experience in the social well-being (SW) domain (p<0.05). Conclusions: these results seem to suggest that individuals with ADS without caries experience in permanent dentitions in the SW domain and males in the OS domain had a higher impact quality of life.

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

“…observed that ‘self‐image and social interaction’ domains improved significantly post‐dental treatment. Contrarily, another study 28 found that there was a greater impact on the SWB domain in caries‐free children with ASD when compared to children with ASD having a caries experience, as perceived by parents. Interestingly, the OS domain showed the least amount of significant differences among the various studies.…”

“…and Ibrahim et al., 23 who found that more mothers in the control groups finished a college degree or were working. However, Cancio et al 28 . observed that the correlation of parental perception of QoL with caregivers' schooling, sex, age, and caries experience was non‐significant.…”

“…This was also observed by Alaki et al 16 and Ibrahim et al, 23 who found that more mothers in the control groups finished a college degree or were working. However, Cancio et al 28 observed that the correlation of parental perception of QoL with caregivers' schooling, sex, age, and caries experience was non-significant. Age was considered to have a positive influence on the parental perception of OHRQoL scores (p-CPQ) by Qiao et al 27 Interestingly, the socio-economic status of a majority of the families with ASD belonged to the upper and uppermiddle class.…”

“…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.…”

Dampak Pemeliharaan Kebersihan Gigi dan Mulut terhadap Oral Health Related Quality of Life pada Anak dengan Autism Spectrum Disorder: Persepsi Orang Tua

“…Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Cancio et al 28 menggunakan instrumen Parental Caregiver Perception Quesionnaire (P-CPQ), dan mendapatkan bahwa faktor yang sering dikaitkan dengan dampak terhadap kualitas hidup ialah pendapatan rumah tangga dan usia ibu, gejala oral, keterbatasan fungsional, dan kesejahteraan emosional. Diketahui pula anak ASD memiliki pengaruh yang lebih besar terhadap kualitas hidup keluarga dibandingkan dengan anak normal.…”