title: [Self-perception of people afflicted with leprosy regarding their oral health and the need for treatment].
abstract: 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 socio-economic 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.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Saúde da Família Anastácio Magalhães, Prefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza. Rua Delmiro de Farias, Rodolfo Teófilo. 60000-000 Fortaleza CE, Brazil. drajanainarocha@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Janaína Rocha de Sousa
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Carlos Henrique
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.forename: Jaqueline Caracas
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Aldo Angelim
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Maria Eneide Leitão
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: de Almeida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003729:Dental Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D012649:Self Concept