| dc.description.abstract | Rare diseases are all diseases that affect up to 65 people out of every 100,000 inhabitants. There is a great diversity of signs and symptoms present in the affected individuals, which vary according to the etiology of the disease and also from person to person. In many rare diseases the symptoms are noticed at birth or even in childhood. Generally, individuals with rare diseases present disturbances in the nervous and/or musculoskeletal system, with cognitive impairment, neuropsychomotor disorders and craniofacial alterations. Some oral manifestations, such as malocclusions and dental anomalies, are usually common in this population. The concept of vulnerability in health is based on the understanding of individuals' susceptibilities to illness, and the disease is considered to be a result of a set of individual, collective and contextual factors. This study aimed to analyze the chance of dental caries in individuals with rare diseases. A cross - sectional study was performed with a paired sample of 140 individuals [70 with rare diseases - Mucopolysaccharidosis (n=29) / Osteogenesis imperfecta (n=41) - and 70 without rare diseases] and their parents / guardians. The sample was selected in two reference hospitals responsible for the care of patients with rare diseases in Belo Horizonte, in the southeast of Brazil. Individuals with and without rare diseases were examined for breathing type, malocclusion, dental anomaly, oral hygiene and dental caries. Parents / guardians answered a structured questionnaire about their child (individual / behavioral characteristics and medical / dental history). Univariate, bivariate (chi-square test) and multivariate analyzes (multiple logistic regression) were performed, with dental caries being the dependent variable. A statistical significance of p <0.05 was considered. The Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais approved this research. The age group of the individuals examined was from 2 to 27 years, with an average age of 10.3 years (± 6.5). Regardless of the presence or absence of a rare disease, individuals with inadequate oral hygiene had a 4.70-fold higher chance of belonging to the group with dental caries (CI: 2.03-10.16, 95%). Individuals with rare disease were 2.92 times more likely to be in the group with dental caries (CI: 1.38-6.18, 95%). It was concluded that individuals identified with inadequate oral hygiene, as well as those diagnosed with a rare disease, were more likely to belong to the group with dental caries. Based on this study, individuals with rare diseases were considered vulnerable to dental caries. | |
