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 | P | Male | Female | P | < high school/no education | High school and above | P | ||
| 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 p value is significant at <0.05. ∗Includes responses from caregivers who do not know.