Evaluation of oral health care in hospitalized children

Abstract

This study aimed to examine oral health care of hospitalized children, verifying presence of cariogenic potential in eating habits and medication use, as well as dental brushing or the use of alternative methods during hospitalization. This descriptive study used a form applied to companions of 100 children hospitalized in the pediatric outpatient department of a reference public hospital in Recife, Brazil, during 3 months. Techniques of descriptive statistics including tables, absolute and relative distributions were used, so as presentation of statistic measures to the numeric variable time of hospitalization. Children presented a cariogenic diet which included sugar between main meals, medication with cariogenic potential in hours of risk to develop caries; oral care of hospitalized children did not occurred in a systematic and oriented way. It was verifi ed that it is necessary an effective participation of a dentist integrated to health team in infant hospitals, aiming to promote oral health. Hospitalization must happen as a possibility of knowing and treating diseases, not causing them.