Autopercepcao de pessoas acometidas pela hanseniase sobre sua saude bucal e necessidade de tratamento

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva 2013-03, Vol.18 (3), p.817-826
• Main Authors: Almeida, Janaína Rocha de Sousa, Alencar, Carlos Henrique, Barbosa, Jaqueline Caracas, Dias, Aldo Angelim, de Almeida, Maria Eneide Leitão
• Format: Article
• Language: por ; spa
• Subjects: PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561; 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/S1413-81232013000300027

Leprosy is an infectious disease that has an impact from a physical, social and psychological standpoint. The scope of this study was to assess the self-perception on oral health and need for treatment in leprosy patients in the city of Fortaleza, State of Ceará, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study, where 100 leprosy patients were given a semi-structured questionnaire to fill out. The results of the bivariate analysis between need for treatment and socioeconomic characteristics showed that only education revealed a statistical association (p = 0.000). An association was verified between the classification of oral health and self-perception of need for treatment (p = 0.05). With respect to the self-perception of oral health, 36% of the researched subjects classified their oral health as good. The self-perception of leprosy patients regarding their oral health and need for treatment, together with a clinical evaluation, should serve as a guide for the drafting of public policies that aim to foment more effective dental treatment for these patients.