Avaliação da qualidade de vida e impacto na saúde bucal da pessoa com deficiência visual

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) and the perception of oral health of visually impaired people. Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional study covering people with visual impairments in the months of September and November 2019. Twenty visually impaired people were interviewed at the Instituto de Educacao Assistencial ao Cegos do Nordeste, Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil, older than 18 years. The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref) was used to assess QoL and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14, Portuguese version) was used to assess the oral health perception. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and categorization were used. Results: There was a predominance of male individuals (80%), with a mean age of 32.3 years. Regarding education, 40% had completed high school. Regarding marital status, 75% were single. The study revealed better QoL in the psychological and social relationships domains (mean scores, ME: 4.0 ± 2.83 and 3.9 ± 3.22, respectively). Regarding the assessment of perception of oral health, the dimensions most affected were physical pain (EM 2.05 ± 2.01) and psychological discomfort (EM 2.25 ± 2.27). Conclusion: People with visual impairment have a lower perception of QOL in the physical and environmental domains and, concerning the perception of oral health, the individuals surveyed feel dissatisfied with their current condition.