Caries experience in caregiver-intellectual deficient pair: Influence of caregiver's psychological morbidity

Evaluate how determinants of psychological morbidity were associated with dental caries experience in the caregiver-intellectual deficient pair.

A cross-sectional study with 299 pair, who had their oral health status assessed using the DMFT index (decayed, missing and filled teeth). Symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, quality of sleep, and socioeconomic variables were measured in caregivers. Adjusted prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression with the caregiver and children's caries index as outcome.

The average prevalence of DMFT/dmft was 7.48 (SD ± 3.9) for students with ID and DMFT was 14.7 (SD ± 8.1) for their caregivers. For the caregiver's oral health, the following psychic comorbidities were associated with worse oral health condition: anxiety (PR = 1.48; 95%CI 1.07-2.06), depression (PR = 1.39; 95%CI 1.05-1.85), high level of stress (PR = 1.58; 95%CI 1.17-2.13) and sleep disorders (PR = 1.59; 95%CI 1.18-2.14). For people with ID, the caregiver's psychic comorbidities also showed association with a worse oral health condition, including anxiety (PR = 1.31; 95%CI 1.03-1.74), depression (PR = 1.28; 95%CI 1.01-1.67) and high level of stress (PR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.14-2.32), as well as mother's high level of DMFT (PR = 1.96; 95%CI 1.28-3.03).

Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were associated with higher levels of dental caries experience for caregivers and for people with intellectual disabilities.