Caregivers’ perception of oral health‑related quality of life in a group of Nigerian children living with human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract

Aim: This study examined the caregivers’ perception of the effect of dental conditions on general well‑being and family life of a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‑infected Nigerian children. A secondary aim was to investigate correlations between the children’s sociodemographic and health‑related variables and caregivers’ global ratings of oral health and well‑being.

Study Design: A cross‑sectional questionnaire‑based survey was conducted among parents/caregivers of 95 HIV‑positive children receiving care at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: The “Parental‑Caregivers Perception Questionnaire” which included measures of global ratings of oral health and well‑being as well as effects of oral health on domains of oral symptoms, functional limitations, emotional well‑being, and family well‑being/parental distress was used. Assessment was based on the child’s oral health within the preceding 3 months of the study.

Results: The most affected subscale of the oral health‑related quality of life was functional limitation followed by parental distress and then oral symptoms. Caregivers of older children were 2½ times more likely to view oral health as impacting their child’s overall health (P = 0.034). Furthermore, caregivers of children who had not yet commenced antiretroviral therapy were 15% more likely to report oral symptoms (P = 0.024) and 11% were more likely to be distressed. Statistics: Data entry, validation, and analysis were done using SPSS version 17.0. Findings were considered to be statistically significant when 95% confidence intervals were not overlapping.

Conclusions: According to caregivers’ perceptions, oral symptoms, functional limitations, and parental distress outweighed emotional well‑being in impacting a child’s oral health quality of life. Oral health programs to improve the knowledge of caregivers on the importance of oral health in HIV‑positive children are necessary for improvement in overall quality of life.

Keywords: Caregivers, human immunodeficiency virus infection, Nigerian children, oral health‑related quality of life