Sweetened medicines and hospitalization: caries risk factors in children with and without special needs.
OBJECTIVE
This was to evaluate caries risk factors: medicine consumption level, oral hygiene frequency and oral hygiene habits during hospitalization of children with and without special needs.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out using a pre-tested form, interviews were conducted with guardians of children with (G1-116) and without special needs (G2-86), from a public day nursery in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).


RESULTS
Average use of medications was at 21.8 months for G1--24.5 and G2--7.2 (Mann-Whitney: p-value = 0.0009). In the total sample, medicines were taken usually at night; 8.4% of parents sweetened them before ingestion and the majority of children did not brush their teeth after taking medicines. More than half (61.9%) had been hospitalized with an average duration of 21.8 days; 83 (66.4%) had had few hospitalizations; G1--62.8% and G2--77.4%. Some 81.6% of the sample reported no tooth brushing while in hospital.


METHODS
The data were entered in the EPI INFO 6.04d program, and the tests used were Fisher Exact, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square with a 5% significance level.


CONCLUSIONS
Poor oral hygiene habits when taking medicines and during hospitalizations were observed, mainly among children with special needs.
Pomarico
L
L
Dept. of Paediatric Dentistry, Veiga de Almeida University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. lupomarico@superig.com.br
Souza
I P R
IP
Rangel Tura
L F
LF
D000284:Administration, Oral; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology*; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012307:Risk Factors; D013395:Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D013395:Sucrose