Evaluation of Quality of Life in HIV-Infected Children and Children with Cancer

Abstract

Background: The presence of a chronic illness in childhood, such as HIV infection and cancer, can affect the quality of life and oral health-related quality of life negatively. This work aims to evaluate the quality of life and the oral health-related quality of life of HIV-infected children and children with cancer and compare the results with children without systemic chronic disease. Methods: The Autoquestionnaire Qualite de Vie Enfant Image (AUQEI) and the short version of Child Perception Questionnaire (short-CPQ 11-14) were applied to 82 HIV-infected children, 31 children with cancer and 112 children without systemic disease aged between 11 and 14 years old. All children were examined oral for the presence of any oral health problems. The Kruskal- Wallis test was used to compare the mean scores obtained by the groups. Results: HIV-infected children (AUQEI=49.93; short-CPQ 11-14 =6.29) and children with cancer (AUQEI=50.45;short-CPQ 11-14 =6.81) showed a lower quality of life (p=0.011) and oral-health-related quality of life (p=0.043) when compared to children without systemic disease (AUQEI=52.18; short-CPQ11-14 =3.82). Conclusion: The quality of life and the oral health-related quality of life of children are negatively affected by the HIV-infection and cancer and oral health problems.