Knowledge of caregivers of patients with special needs about oral health

Abstract : Aim: To raise awareness, regarding the scope of practice in Pediatric Dentistry, among medical practitioners working in the Pediatrics Department. Material and Methods: Members of the Office of Director of Dentistry in Hafr Al Batin visited all the hospitals and conducted a paper-based survey. Pediatricians and resident doctors working in the pediatric department were asked to fill a questionnaire. The questionnaire elicited information regarding personal details, knowledge, approach and awareness towards pediatric oral health. A total of 122 responses were collected, and their results analyzed. Results : A total of 122 responses were collected of which 62 were pediatricians and 60 were physicians. The average age was 41 years. Most Pediatricians knew about Pediatric dentistry as a separate specialty in dentistry whereas most physicians were unaware of it. The scope of practice of pediatric dentists, especially in handling patients with special needs were not known to many of them. The overall response was unsatisfactory. Conclusion: Most of the consultants and specialists Pediatricians were aware of Pediatric Dentistry as a distinct specialty. The survey found out that a significant number of doctors were oblivious of the scope of practice, especially in the management of patients with special needs, under general anesthesia. A dedicated CME program was conducted to spread awareness among the concerned doctors, and suggestions made to improve the services.

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Barriers to Oral health care in patients with special needs-A Cross-sectional study

Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology ◽

10.52711/0974-360x.2021.00383 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2167-2171

Author(s):

Nandhini Subramaniam ◽

Arvind Muthukrishnan

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Oral Health ◽

Special Needs ◽

Dental Care ◽

Dental Treatment ◽

Oral Health Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Patients With Special Needs

Aim- This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the barriers to receive oral care among patients with special health care needs. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 patients seeking dental treatment in the special care unit of Oral medicine department. A self-administered questionnaire was employed for data collection. Results: It was found that nearly 56% of respondents listed fear towards dental treatment as an important barrier which in turn prevents them from gaining access to dental care. Around 52% of patients considered their underlying medical problem as a reason for not seeking dental care as their comorbid condition would increase their fear of dental treatment, 43% of patients considered physical barriers or in need of caretakers as a barrier to Dental care. 10% of the population stated that they do not have barriers to access Dental care. Conclusion: The major barriers to oral health care utilization among patients with special needs were fear-related and hence these patients need attention towards fear alleviation and make dental care painless and simple.

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Oral health of patients with special needs requiring treatment under general anaesthesia

Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability ◽

10.3109/13668250.2018.1477409 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 315-320

Author(s):

Mathew A. W. T Lim ◽

Gelsomina L. Borromeo

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Special Needs ◽

General Anaesthesia ◽

Patients With Special Needs

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The Oral Health Inequities between Special Needs Children and Normal Children in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9040410 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 410

Author(s):

Valendriyani Ningrum ◽

Abu Bakar ◽

Tzong-Ming Shieh ◽

Yin-Hwa Shih

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Special Needs ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Permanent Teeth ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Special Needs Children ◽

Normal Children ◽

Children’S Oral Health ◽

Care System

This meta-analysis aimed to analyze the oral health inequalities among special needs children during 2004–2019 in Asia to reveal the importance and the needs of establishing integrated and equitable special needs dentistry care system in Indonesia. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library were systematically searched for full-text observational studies published from 1 January 2004 to 15 January 2020, in English in Asia. Studies that included children under 18 years of age with special needs and compared them to healthy controls were selected. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute 2017 Critical Appraisal Checklist. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-E tool. The decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) index indicated that special needs children who suffer from intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder had significantly more caries than normal children (p < 0.001). The special needs children who had more caries than normal children lived in countries that had a high average DMFT value among 12 years old children (p < 0.001), and these two variables showed a positive correlation in meta-regression analysis (p < 0.001). Having an integrated and equitable care system and elevating children’s oral health are important to maintain special needs children’s oral health.

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