The perception of oral health and oral care needs, barriers and current practices as perceived by managers and caregivers in organizations for people with disabilities in Flanders, Belgium

Caregivers’ Perception about the Relationship between Oral Health and Overall Health in Individuals with Disability in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

In Saudi Arabia, there are many people with disabilities that do not receive adequate healthcare, especially in the field of dentistry.

Objective

This study focused on assessing caregivers' perception of the relationship between oral healthcare and the overall health status of individuals with special healthcare needs (SHCN) in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. Methodology Design. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire that was divided into two sections. The first part included demographic information such as the age and gender of both the caregiver and the person with a disability and the type of disability. The second part investigated the systemic health of the individual with a disability and the caregivers' perception of the relationship between the management and treatment of systemic health and oral healthcare in relation to the overall health status. The results of descriptive analyses were summarized using frequency distribution tables. Bivariate analyses (chi-square test) were also performed. Significant differences were considered at a p value of 0.05. Setting. Initiated in school setting.

Results

A total of 186 caregivers participated in the study. As much as 83.3% agree that oral health affects overall health, and 48.9% agreed that untreated dental problems could affect cardiac health. Age was the only factor found to be significantly associated with caregiver perception as younger caregivers were more likely to rightly understand the relationship between oral health and general health (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study has shown the extent to which caregivers of individuals with special care needs to understand the role of oral health in the general health of an individual. Three-quarters of the caregivers agree that dental health affects overall health, and age is a factor that might influence this understanding.

Association between intelligent quotient and oral health conditions among 13-15 year old intellectually disabled children

Objectives This study aimed to assess the relationship between intelligence quotient and oral health conditions among intellectually disabled children. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 13-15 year old intellectually disabled children at National Institute of Mental Health, Hyderabad. The survey comprised of classification of intellectually disabled children based on their intelligent quotient (IQ) levels along with clinical oral examination using World health organization (WHO) oral health assessment form (2013). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 21.0. p<0.05 was statistically significant. Results The mean age of study participants was 13.73 ± 3.04 years. Based on IQ levels, majority of the participants had moderate retardation (41.8%) and when oral health problems were compared, greater than 50% had gingivitis with mean DMFT scores of 2.48 ± 2.1. A significant higher mean DMFT scores were observed with profound retardation (4.74 ± 2.17) (p=0.000) whereas greater preponderance for oral health problems was observed among moderately retarded subjects. Conclusions Overall majority of the study participants were moderately retarded children and had gingivitis. The higher mean DMFT score was observed with profound retardation with statistical significance. However, Greater percentage of oral health problems were among moderately retarded children. Hence intellectually disabled children should be encouraged to take care about oral health themselves under the guidance of their care takers.

A special needs dentistry study of institutionalized individuals with intellectual disability in West Sumatra Indonesia

People with intellectual disability have a higher risk of oral health problems. This study assessed the clinical oral health status and behaviors and treatment needs of people living in an institution in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. We quantified oral health status of 65 individuals with intellectual disability using Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHIs), Angle’s classification of malocclusion, Community Periodontal Index and Treatment Need (CPITN), and decay index and also recorded their brushing behavior. We found that males had significantly lower OHIs (p < 0.001), more malocclusion (p < 0.001), greater caries number (p < 0.001), greater CPITN (p = 0.001) and higher need of dental treatment (p < 0.01) than females. Additionally, we found that high caries number was associated with poor OHIS, malocclusion, periodontal disease, and dependent brushing behavior (p < 0.001). The findings of this study imply that there is a gap in appropriate oral health care in individuals with intellectual disability. There should be a greater focus on providing appropriate oral health education to people with intellectual disability, improving the health literacy and quality of care of caregivers, and providing more dentists with specialized training in special needs dentistry.