Caregivers’ Perception about the Relationship between Oral Health and Overall Health in Individuals with Disability in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Table 3
The association between caregivers’ age, gender, and education with perception of caregivers about the relationship between oral health and overall health.
Variables
N
Caregiver age
Caregiver gender
Caregiver education
12–34 years
≥35 years
Male
Female
< high school/no education
High school and above
Dental health affects overall health
Yes
155
79 (86.8%)
76 (80.0%)
0.213
54 (81.8%)
101 (84.2%)
0.681
48 (87.3%)
107 (81.7%)
0.350
No
31
12 (13.2%)
19 (20.0%)
12 (18.2%)
19 (15.8%)
7 (12.7%)
24 (18.3%)
Poor dental health is linked to many serious diseases and conditions in the body
Yes
117
56 (61.5%)
61 (64.2%)
0.706
43 (65.2%)
74 (61.7%)
0.638
32 (58.2%)
85 (64.9%)
0.388
No
69
35 (38.5%)
34 (35.8%)
23 (34.8%)
46 (38.3%)
23 (41.8%)
46 (35.1%)
Poor oral health and some dental procedures can affect heart health if not managed properly
Yes
91
39 (42.9%)
52 (54.7%)
0.105
34 (51.5%)
57 (47.5%)
0.600
26 (47.3%)
65 (49.6%)
0.770
No
95
52 (57.1%)
43 (45.3%)
32 (48.5%)
63 (52.5%)
29 (52.7%)
66 (50.4%)
It is important to inform the dentist about any past/current health conditions, allergies, treatments, or usage of medications
Yes
163
86 (94.5%)
77 (81.1%)
0.005
55 (83.3%)
108 (90.0%)
0.186
45 (81.8%)
118 (90.1%)
0.118
No
23
5 (5.5%)
18 (18.9%)
11 (16.7%)
12 (10.0%)
10 (18.2%)
13 (9.9%)
Some dental procedures need to be approved by the physician according to the patient health condition
Yes
145
75 (82.4%)
70 (73.7%)
0.151
53 (80.3%)
92 (76.7%)
0.567
42 (76.4%)
103 (78.6%)
0.734
No
41
16 (17.6%)
25 (26.3%)
13 (19.7%)
28 (23.3%)
13 (23.6%)
28 (21.4%)
Continuous usage of some medication can cause oral health problems like tooth decay and inflamed gums
Yes
105
45 (49.5%)
60 (63.2%)
0.059
35 (53.0%)
70 (58.3%)
0.485
30 (54.5%)
75 (57.3%)
0.734
No
81
46 (50.5%)
35 (36.8%)
31 (47.0%)
50 (41.7%)
25 (45.5%)
56 (42.7%)
Some individuals with special needs are at a higher risk of health problems related to poor oral health
Yes
112
56 (61.5%)
56 (58.9%)
0.718
35 (53.0%)
77 (64.2%)
0.138
31 (56.4%)
81 (61.8%)
0.487
No
74
35 (38.5%)
39 (41.1%)
31 (47.0%)
43 (35.8%)
24 (43.6%)
50 (38.2%)
It is important the dentist team communicate with other health providers to offer the best treatment for special needs patients
Yes
161
83 (91.2%)
78 (82.1%)
0.069
53 (80.3%)
108 (90.0%)
0.064
46 (83.6%)
115 (87.8%)
0.449
No
25
8 (8.8%)
17 (17.9%)
13 (19.7%)
12 (10.0%)
9 (16.4%)
16 (12.2%)
Bolded value is significant at <0.05. Includes responses from caregivers who do not know.
