Condição de saúde bucal, autopercepção e impacto na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal de deficientes visuais

Abstract

Visual perception plays a fundamental role in health care, especially in oral health. Individuals who face limitations in this aspect often find it difficult to maintain adequate oral hygiene and identify changes in their oral cavity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sociodemographic profile, accessibility, self-perception of oral health and oral health conditions, as well as their impact on the quality of life of visually impaired people. A form was applied with sociodemographic data, accessibility, self-perception of oral health and the impact of oral health on quality of life and the CPOD, CPI and IOTN indices were performed. The data were analyzed descriptively, based on absolute and relative frequencies and measures of central tendency and distribution. Poisson regression models with robust variance, unadjusted and adjusted, were performed. Variables with p <0.05 were considered significantly associated with the outcome in the final adjusted model. 91 visually impaired people participated in this study, the majority of whom were male, with an average of 36.2 years of age, and having acquired visual impairment. Furthermore, the majority had been to the dentist less than a year ago and the most sought after service was the public one. The reason for going was mostly to search for curative treatment. More than half considered their oral health condition to be fair, bad or very poor. They had an average of 11 decayed, missing or filled teeth, a diagnosis of gingivitis and a slight need for orthodontic treatment. It was associated in the multivariate analysis with the impact on the quality of life of these individuals having ever had a toothache in their lives, the self-perceived need for dental treatment, the experience of cavities and periodontal disease as well as the need for orthodontics. Furthermore, it was observed that income lower than the minimum wage, toothache and the impact of oral health on personal relationships were statistically associated with self-perceived need for dental treatment. It is concluded that unmet oral health needs significantly impact the self- perception of the need for dental treatment and the quality of life of people with visual impairment.