Prevalencia de fluorosis dental en los pacientes con discapacidad visual de la Fundación Ángel de Luz

Abstract

Introduction: Visual disability refers to the total or partial decrease in vision that affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities and dental fluorosis is a hypomineralization of the enamel that can be seen from white or brown spots to structural losses, this has aesthetic or shape abnormalities, also has physical and emotional health repercussions. Objective: Determine the prevalence of dental fluorosis in patients with visual impairment of the Ángel de Luz Foundation in 2024. Materials and methods: The study was cross-sectional analytical observational, because it was carried out in a single period of time without longitudinal follow-up of the patients. The collection instrument included 4 sections to address different aspects by three calibrated researchers and a 27-question survey. Univariate analysis was performed using absolute frequencies and percentages for qualitative variables and the prevalence of fluorosis and its severity. Additionally, a bivariate analysis with Chi2 tests and Fishers exact-test. Results: The majority of people with visual disabilities who attend the Ángel de Luz Foundation are male; 50% of the population suffer from total or severe disabilities. When performing a visual examination to establish the presence of dental fluorosis, it was established that the majority of cases were classified as very mild or mild according to the Dean scale, which indicates opaque white spots on the teeth. There was no statistically significant relationship with any of the variables because they presented p values >0.05. Conclusions: A high prevalence of dental fluorosis was established, most cases were classified as very mild or mild. A trend was observed towards a greater degree of severity in females and in people with total visual impairment.