Objective: To evaluate the accessibility of FA patients to dental assistance and oral examination.
Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive study with 35 patients between 4 to 18 years old and their guardians was performed at a Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit at Hospital de Clínicas/UFPR. A specific designed questionnaire was developed to identify factors and barriers to dental assistance and was analyzed by descriptive statistics.
Result: The mean age was 9.7 years and 60% (n=21) of the sample were male. The first dental care was reported to be earlier than 6 years old in 68.6% (n=24) of the patients. The main reason for consultation was described as “prevention” (68.6%, n=24). The oral care was performed mostly in public service (80%, n=28) and hospitals (67.9% n=19). The dental assistance was evaluated as “good” by 77.1% (n=27) of the sample.
Conclusion: FA patients and their guardians showed a reasonable concern to oral self-care. The awareness about the risks of oral malignant transformation can possibly contribute to the early identification of oral dysplastic or malignant changes.