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CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1761188
Original Article

Survey on Oral Health Education Knowledge of Family Members and Health Workers Dedicated to Patients with Disabilities

Francesco Saverio Ludovichetti 
1   Section of Dentistry, Department of Neurosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Andrea Zuccon
1   Section of Dentistry, Department of Neurosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Patrizia Lucchi
1   Section of Dentistry, Department of Neurosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Anna Giulia Signoriello
1   Section of Dentistry, Department of Neurosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Edoardo Stellini
1   Section of Dentistry, Department of Neurosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
,
Sergio Mazzoleni
1   Section of Dentistry, Department of Neurosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
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Abstract

Objective Over a billion people in the world live with some form of disability and this figure is destined to grow due to the increase in life expectancy. As consequence, the caregiver is taking on an increasingly important role that gains relevance also in the field of oral-dental prevention, being able to promptly identify needs for medical treatment. In some cases, however, the caregiver can be an obstacle to consider in case of a lack of adequate knowledge and commitment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the caregiver level of oral education comparing family members and health workers dedicated to people with disabilities knowledge.

Materials and Methods Anonymous questionnaires were distributed in five disability service centers and filled alternatively by family members of patients with disability and disability service centers health workers.

Results Two-hundred fifty questionnaires were collected, of which 100 were filled in by family members and 150 by health workers. Data were analyzed by applying the chi-squared (X2) independence test and the pairwise method for missing data.

Conclusion Family members oral education appears better in terms of brushing frequency, toothbrush replacement, and number of dental visits.

Keywords

Special Dentistry - health workers - oral hygiene - disabilities

Ethical Approval Statement

Ethical approval was waived by the local Ethics Committee; all patients gave their informed consent prior to the inclusion in the study.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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