Impacto de condições bucais na qualidade de vida de crianças/adolescentes com e sem transtorno do espectro autista e de seus familiares

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of family psychosocial factors related to the oral health of children/adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared with the perception of parents/caregivers of children/adolescents without ASD. To assess the perception of the impact of oral conditions on oral health-related quality of life (QHRSB), 80 children/adolescents with ASD and 80 without ASD were examined. Parents/caregivers answered the short version of the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ). The evaluation of the influence of behavioral factors on the experience of dental caries was evaluated in 80 mothers of children/adolescents with ASD compared with 76 mothers of children/adolescents without ASD using the Sense of Coherence and Locus of Control (LOC) questionnaires. Socio-demographic information of the families was collected through a structured questionnaire self-reported by the guardians. A single examiner evaluated the following clinical indicators: dental caries (DMFT/dmft), clinical consequences of untreated dental caries (PUFA/pufa), presence of visible plaque (IPV), bleeding on periodontal probing (ISS), malocclusion and dentoalveolar trauma (TD). The Wilcoxon test compared the domains and the total score of the P-CPQ between individuals with and without ASD. Pearson's chi-square test was used to assess the association between the total P-CPQ score and sociodemographic and health data and clinical indicators. Variables that showed a significance level (p<0.20) in the bivariate analysis were incorporated into the final Poisson regression model (95% CI, p<0.05). For the analysis of behavioral factors, Pearson's chi-square test, Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney test were performed to assess differences in caries experience and independent variables in both groups. The variables that showed a significance level (p<0.20) in the unadjusted logistic regression model were incorporated into the final regression model (95% CI, p<0.05). No statistically significant differences were found in relation to the perception of parents/caregivers of children/adolescents with ASD about the repercussions of oral conditions on their children's quality of life when compared to the perception of parents/caregivers of individuals without ASD (p=0.721). The adjusted model of children with ASD found that children who had already made a previous visit to the dentist are 3.682 (95% CI = 1.007 – 13.462) times more likely to experience dental caries than children who had never been to the dentist. While children with visible plaque are 3.426 (95% CI = 1.089 – 10.783) times more likely to experience dental caries when compared to children who do not have visible plaque. The presence of visible plaque and the attribution of chance to maternal LOC were determinants for a higher prevalence of dental caries in children/adolescents without ASD. The group with ASD presented the same factors, however the previous visit to the dentist was also decisive. The experience of dental caries was also associated with the perception of the occurrence of negative repercussions on the quality of life related to the oral health of children/adolescents with ASD.