Oral hygiene negligence among institutionalized mentally disabled children in Mysore city-A call for attention

Assessment of Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of Institutionalized Children With Special Needs in Poonamallee, Chennai: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Dental caries represents a pervasive chronic pediatric ailment that significantly hinders normal patterns of nutrition intake, speech articulation, and daily activities. Notably, children with special needs emerge as a particularly susceptible demographic concerning dental afflictions, specifically in the context of dental caries and periodontal diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the oral health status of children with special needs in Poonamallee, Chennai, India. Methodology This cross-sectional survey involved a total of 1,114 children with special needs, classified into two groups, namely, intellectually disabled and physically challenged. The assessment of various oral health parameters in the study population was performed using the World Health Organization's Oral Health Assessment Form for Children 2013. For quantitative variables, mean and standard deviations were considered. The significance of the difference between quantitative variables was tested using an independent t-test. Statistical significance was set at p-values ≤0.05. Results Of the 1,114 children, 552 were females and 562 were males. Overall dental trauma was noted in 21%. The average decayed missing filled teeth (DMFT) value was 0.74, with intellectually disabled children exhibiting a higher mean compared to the physically challenged group with a mean value of 0.72. Additionally, when assessing gingival conditions, children with intellectual disabilities displayed more unfavorable outcomes compared to their physically challenged counterparts. A need for dental intervention was observed in 97.3% of the pediatric population. A statistically significant difference was found for missing teeth (M) in the DMFT index between the intellectually disabled and physically challenged groups. Conclusions The results of this study emphasize the less-than-ideal oral health condition among children with special needs, highlighting the urgent necessity for the creation of a comprehensive dental healthcare program tailored to their specific needs.

Assessment of oral health status among intellectually and physically disabled population in Chennai

Background:

Oral health is an integral part of general health. In certain populations, especially among intellectually and physically disabled individuals, oral health is neglected. People with disabilities deserve the same opportunities for oral health and hygiene as those who are abled, but sadly dental care is the most common unmet health care need of the disabled people.

Aim:

The purpose of the study is to assess the oral health status and dental care utilization of people above 15 years with intellectual and physical disability in Chennai.

Methodology:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the dental caries experience, gingival status, prevalence of fluorosis and lesion, and dental service utilization among 132 intellectually and physically disabled people in Chennai. After obtaining the caregivers consent of the participants, oral health was assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO) proforma, 2013. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 23.

Results:

When DMFT indexes were examined with regard to sex, the mean DMFT was found to be higher for males with 1.453 ± 1.847 whereas females have 1.403 ± 1.73, and mean DMFT was found to be more for the 26–35 years age group with 2.3 ± 2.01. 81.8% of the population had no gingival bleeding whereas only 18.18% had gingival bleeding.

Conclusion:

With the obtained results, people with physical disability have a high mean DMFT compared with intellectual disability. The present study showed dental negligence among mentally disabled population where the parents, caretakers, and dentists are responsible.

Oral health status and treatment needs of children with special health care needs in rural and urban areas of Hyderabad - A cross sectional study

Aim:

The aim of the cross-sectional study was to ascertain the oral health status and treatment needs of special health care need children of age group 3–16 years in rural and urban areas of Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Materials and Method:

To assess and compare the caries status, oral health status, oral hygiene measures, diet and treatment needs in rural and urban population. The data collected was processed and analyzed using the SPSS statistical software program.

Results:

Among 1000 subjects in rural and urban population highly significant difference was observed for Oral hygiene aids (P < 0.003) and for DMFT (P < 0.008) and no significant difference for dmft (P > 0.26). OHIs status showed no difference in primary and permanent in both rural and urban population (P > 1). Filled and missed were in DMFT, dmft was very low even though there were carious tooth in study population. Most of the children in rural and urban population required varied treatment needs like oral prophylaxis, restoration, pulp therapy, crowns and extractions.

Conclusion:

High prevalence of dental caries and the need for restorative care was noted in these children emphasizing the necessity of change of attitude towards oral health and improved oral care by repeated counselling of parents by primary health care physicians.