Oral health status and self-esteem in patients with HIV

Abstract

Although science and technology have developed over the years and have been used as a means to promote health, it has not yet been possible to discover the cure for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The disease, which is transmitted through infected human secretions, causes severe disorder in the immune system, resulting in the immunosuppression of the infected patient. It is known that seropositive patients present oral lesions and that these are often the first clinical sign of the disease. Notably, the pathology causes a serious impact not only on the physical health of the affected patients, but also on the social life and emotional / psychological health of the patients and can often cause depression, anxiety, fear of death, anxiety and suicidal behavior. impair self-esteem and self-esteem, which is an indicator of mental health. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to analyze the epidemiological profile, oral health conditions and self-esteem level in seropositive HIV patients. This is a cross-sectional study approved by the Ethics and Research Committee, which will be held at the "Domingos Alves Meira" Infectology Department of the Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu - UNESP. The subjects of the research will be the seropositive HIV patients who undergo treatment in this center and who agree to participate in the study by signing the free and informed consent term. This study will include oral examination to evaluate the quality of (DMFT index) and oral hygiene (IHOS); analysis of medical records to collect information on sociodemographic factors, HIV-related data and ART, harmful habits (use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs) and information on systemic health; and to evaluate the level of self-esteem, the validated instrument will be used: Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. After data collection, they will be tabulated in Excel and a descriptive statistical analysis will be performed for all variables, with averages and standard deviation for continuous variables, and frequency and percentages for categorical variables. Pearson's correlations will be used for parametric data and Spearman's correlations for non-parametric data. To verify the association between the studied variables, the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test will be used at a level of 5% of significance.