Objectives
To investigate the structural and intermediary determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among adults with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P).
Design and Participants
A cross-sectional study was conducted with patients enrolled at the referral center for craniofacial anomalies in Manaus, Brazil. Adults aged 18 years or more with non-syndromic CL/P were selected.
Main Outcome Measures
HRQoL and OHRQoL were assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP), respectively. Individual interviews and oral examinations were conducted to collect data on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, social ties, health-related behaviors, compliance of CL/P protocol, chronic diseases, type of CL/P, oral clinical measures and CL/P related measures. Poisson regression was used to test the association of independent variables with HRQoL and OHRQoL outcomes.
Results
The mean age of the 96 participants was 29.4 ± 9.1 years. Low family income, female sex, low social support, type of CL/P and dental caries were associated with poor HQoL and poor OHRQoL (P<.05). Poor HRQoL was also associated with chronic diseases (P<.05). Adults with low education, low social network and smokers were more likely to have worse OHRQoL (P<.05).
Conclusions
Structural and intermediary determinants were related to HRQoL and OHRQoL in adults with CL/P suggesting the need for interdisciplinary approaches to improve the management of CL/P and intersectoral actions to reduce the impact of social inequalities.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)