CORRELATION BETWEEN CAREGIVERS AND THE ORAL HEALTH OF DEPENDENT ELDERLY: A BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY ON THE PRODUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

The Brazilian population has shown accelerated aging, and a large portion of this elderly population is affected by chronic health problems that result in the loss of the ability to perform basic activities of daily living, including oral health care, and they need a caregiver to assist them in this task. The present bibliometric study aimed to map the production of knowledge about the role played by the caregiver in the oral health of the dependent elderly. For this, the database of the VHL (Virtual Health Library) platform was used, from which 05 publications were selected, which were analyzed descriptively as to the main subjects most pointed out, the institution responsible for the study and the region where the study was carried out, in addition to the year and journal of publication. The results showed that there is a predominance of publications from the southeast and northeast regions of the country. Although oral health was the most frequently mentioned subject, the publications were carried out in journals of diverse interests, indicating a multiprofessional interest in the theme. The few studies found allow us to say that there is a research gap, going against the trend of growing demand pointed out by the demographic transition presented by Brazil, making it necessary to invest in research and dissemination of knowledge on the subject.