Oral health knowledge of parents of children and adolescents with congenital heart disease

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the knowledge on oral hygiene, infective endocarditis, and antibiotic prophylaxis of parents of children and adolescents with heart diseases assisted at the Hospital Ana Nery (reference hospital), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 43 guardians of children and adolescents aged 2 through 16 years, performed with the application of a questionnaire. Results: In the sample of parents studied, 64% had completed high school and 47% had a monthly family income of up to one minimum wage. The majority (81%) reported knowing that oral infections may lead to heart complications, 42% knew that oralbacteria may migrate to the heart, and 51% knew the term infective endocarditis. When questioned about antibiotic prophylaxis, 93% had no knowledge about it and 88% did not know the reasons for using antibiotics before dental treatment. Conclusion: Parental knowledge was limited and fragmented. Further attention is required when transmitting information to parents, focusing on prevention strategies in order to guarantee the integral health of these children and adolescents.

研究目的：评估巴西巴伊亚州萨尔瓦多市安娜内里医院（指定转诊医院）收治的心脏病儿童及青少年的家长/监护人对口腔卫生、感染性心内膜炎（infective endocarditis）及抗生素预防（antibiotic prophylaxis）的认知水平。
研究方法：本研究为横断面研究，纳入43名年龄2至16岁的儿童及青少年的监护人，采用问卷调查法开展研究。
研究结果：在受访的家长样本中，64%完成高中学业，47%的家庭月收入不超过1倍最低工资标准。多数受访者（81%）表示知晓口腔感染可引发心脏并发症，42%了解口腔细菌可迁移至心脏，51%知晓感染性心内膜炎这一术语。在抗生素预防相关问题上，93%的受访者对此完全不了解，88%不清楚牙科治疗前使用抗生素的缘由。
研究结论：受访家长的认知水平有限且较为零散，在向此类家长传递健康信息时需给予更多关注，重点围绕预防策略展开科普，以保障该群体儿童及青少年的整体健康。