title: Influence of Caregiver's Sociodemographic Background on the Oral Health Status and Care of HIV-infected Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of caregivers and the oral health of their children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) compared to a group of HIV-children and their caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred forty HIV+ and 140 healthy two- to five-year-old children and their caregivers who sought care at hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, participated. Caregivers were interviewed for sociodemographic characteristics, and knowledge and attitudes regarding oral health. The decayed, missing and filled primary teeth (dmft) index was obtained for the children. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used (five percent significance level). Content analysis method was used for qualitative evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most interviewees were mothers (83.6 percent), did no work outside the home (69.3 percent), had low educational status (47.1 percent), and were born in the South/Southeast regions of Brazil (83.6 percent). The mean dmft was 3.48±3.14 for the HIV+ group and 1.02±1.00 for the healthy children. Oral care was reported as important by 54.1 percent of the caregivers. Those who didn't consider oral care important had never received information about oral health (P<0.01). Caregivers born in the North/Northeast regions took their children to the dentist less frequently than mothers born in other areas (P=0.02). Low educational status influenced the attitudes about oral health (P<0.01), irregular dental visits for the children (P<0.01), and the dmft index (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregivers' low educational status and birthplace influenced the importance given to HIV+ children's oral health as well as the oral health knowledge and practices for both HIV+ and healthy children.
authors.affiliation: Jesus and Pediatric dentist in private practice, in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina Alvine
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Jesus
authors.affiliation: Associate professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Cariology, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Nova Friburgo, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Apoena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Aguiar Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Jesus and Pediatric dentist in private practice, in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Moraes
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Associate professor, in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thomaz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chianca
authors.affiliation: Professor, in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivete Pomarico Ribeiro
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Associate professor, in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;, Email: gfbacastro@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Gloria Fernanda Barbosa
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: de Araujo Castro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous