Parental reports of the oral health-related quality of life of children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

BackgroundThe severity of physical and mental impairments and oral problems, as well as socioeconomic factors, may have an impact on quality of life of children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this research was to assess the impact of impairments and oral health conditions, adjusted by socioeconomic factors, on the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of children with CP using their parents as proxies.MethodsSixty children, between 6-14 years of age were selected. Their parents answered a children’s OHRQoL instrument (5 domains) which combines the Parental-Caregivers Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and Family Impact Scale (FIS). The severity of dental caries, type of CP, communication ability, gross motor function, seizures and socioeconomic conditions were assessed.ResultsConsidering the total score of the OHRQoL instrument, only the reduction of communication ability and dental caries severity had a negative impact on the OHRQoL (p < 0.05). Considering each domain of the instrument, the severity of the type of CP and its reduction of communication ability showed a negative impact on oral symptoms and functional limitations domains (p < 0.05). Seizures have a negative impact on oral symptoms domain (p = 0.006). The multivariate fitted model showed that the severity of dental caries, communication ability and low family income were negatively associated with the impact on OHRQoL (p = 0.001).ConclusionsThe severity of dental caries, communication ability, and family income are conditions strongly associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL of children with CP.

A systematic review of the impact of parental socio-economic status and home environment characteristics on children’s oral health related quality of life

“…Conversely, house property [21] and house ownership [14] were not found to be significant, but one study on 12-year-old school children of Juiz de For, Brazil, reported that children whose parents owned a house had better OHRQoL than those who do not own a house [4] only in bivariate analysis. A study on Chilean adolescents found number of cars owned and monthly paternal income to be significantly associated with OHRQoL, while house ownership was insignificant [37].…”

Factors associated with health and oral health–related quality of life of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

“…This study carried out the description and verification of factors associated with the impact on HRQoL and OHRQoL of children and adolescents with CP. Despite using a nonprobabilistic sample, it is important to note that the number of subjects examined is much higher than that of other Brazilian and international studies that evaluated OHRQoL.…”

“…Comparing the OHRQoL scores according to the oral complications, lower values were found in individuals with dental caries or periodontal diseases. Many authors report that dental caries had an impact on the OHRQoL of children with CP . The occurrence of this impact can be explained by the signs and symptoms of dental caries that can hamper the activities of children with CP, such as eating, drinking, sleeping, and playing and worry parents, because the lack of communication makes it difficult to express discomfort, and often causes uncertainty and frustration in parents …”

“…Few studies have evaluated possible factors associated with the HRQoL and OHRQoL of children with CP. The international literature reports the association of low HRQoL scores of children and adolescents with type of CP, high levels in the evaluation of the Gross Motor Function Classification System, low intellect, pain, epilepsy, maternal psychological changes, and parental stress levels .…”

Severe dental fluorosis and cognitive deficits

“…Tooth decay and other oral defects negatively impact a child's quality of life as assessed by children and parents (Barbosa and Gavião, 2008;Nurelhuda et al, 2010;de Castro et al, 2011;Aguilar-Díaz et al, 2011;Biazevic et al, 2008;Abanto et al, 2012;Krisdapong et al, 2012;Bönecker et al, 2012;Locker, 2007). Quality of life impacts have also been found for dental fluorosis, but there is a marked difference in physical appearance and quality of life assessments for children with moderate/severe dental fluorosis compared with those having none/ questionable or very mild/mild forms.…”