01470nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001653001600042653001200058653003400070653001800104100001700122700001800139700001700157700001700174245006800191856005900259300001400318490000700332520089900339022001401238       2014                            d10aOral Health10aleprosy10aHealth Services Accessibility10aEpidemiology.1 aFilgueira AA1 aParesque ÁAC1 aCarneiro SMF1 aTeixeira AKM00a[Oral health in leprosy patients, Sobral, Ceará state, Brazil]  uhttp://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/pdf/ess/v23n1/v23n1a15.pdf  a155 - 1640 v233 aOBJECTIVE: assess the oral health status of leprosy patients in Sobral-CE. 
METHODS: cross-sectional study. An epidemiological oral health survey and interview were conducted with 65 leprosy patients. Oral health, socioeconomic data, use of dental services and perception of the relationship between oral health and disease were analyzed. 
RESULTS: the majority had low education (n=47) and were not instructed to see a dentist when they were diagnosed (n=44). Ten respondents experienced some difficulty brushing their teeth, because of numbness in the upper limbs. A statistically significant relationship between reactive episodes and gingival bleeding (p=0.010), operational classification (p=0.001) and demand for dental services (p=0.001) was observed. 
CONCLUSION: it is importantfor leprosy patients to have dental follow-up in order to reduce sources of infection with this disease.  a1679-4974