Edelstein Burton, Vargas Clemencia M, Candelaria Devanie, Vemuri Maryen
Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Pediatr Dent. 2006 Sep-Oct;28(5):431-7.
The purpose of this study was to describe and substantiate the experience of children, their families, and their caregivers with children's dental pain and to explore implications of these experiences for public policy.
Data for 301 children presenting to 35 pediatric dentistry training programs during a 1-week period in 2000 for pain relief were collected with a questionnaire asking for: (1) sociodemographic characteristics; (2) oral health status; (3) dental care history; (4) presenting problem; (5) clinical findings; and (6) clinical disposition. Descriptive statistics are presented.
Among children presenting to training programs with oral pain, 28% were under age 6, 57% were on Medicaid, and 38% were regarded by their dentists to have "likely or obvious" functional impairment-with 22% reporting the highest pain level. Parents reported that 59% had "poor or fair oral health" and 29% had a prior dental emergency in the previous year. Pain, experienced for several days by 73% of children, was associated with difficulty: (1) eating; (2) sleeping; (3) attending school; and (4) playing. Parent-reported barriers to seeking dental care included: (1) missed work (24%); (2) transportation costs (12%); and (3) arranging child care (10%).
In this study of children with dental pain, many suffered significant pain: (1) duration; (2) intensity; (3) recurrence; and (4) consequences. This study demonstrates the ongoing need for public policies that assure timely, comprehensive, and affordable dental care for vulnerable children.
本研究旨在描述并证实儿童、其家庭及照料者在儿童牙齿疼痛方面的经历，并探讨这些经历对公共政策的影响。
2000年，在为期1周的时间里，对前往35个儿科牙科培训项目寻求疼痛缓解的301名儿童的数据进行收集，问卷内容包括：（1）社会人口学特征；（2）口腔健康状况；（3）牙科护理史；（4）就诊问题；（5）临床检查结果；（6）临床处置情况。给出描述性统计结果。
在因口腔疼痛前往培训项目就诊的儿童中，28%年龄在6岁以下，57%参加了医疗补助计划，38%被牙医认为有“可能或明显的”功能障碍，其中22%报告疼痛程度最高。家长报告称，59%的儿童“口腔健康状况差或一般”，29%的儿童在前一年曾有过牙科急症。73%的儿童经历了数天的疼痛，这与以下困难相关：（1）进食；（2）睡眠；（3）上学；（4）玩耍。家长报告的寻求牙科护理的障碍包括：（1）误工（24%）；（2）交通费用（12%）；（3）安排儿童照料（10%）。
在这项关于牙齿疼痛儿童的研究中，许多儿童遭受了严重的疼痛：（1）持续时间；（2）强度；（3）复发情况；（4）后果。本研究表明，持续需要公共政策来确保为弱势儿童提供及时、全面且负担得起的牙科护理。
