Oral health status and treatment in children with mental retardation and two year follow-up

The problems associated with oral and dental health have a large share among the general health problems. Oral and dental health is a factor which affects the physical and psychological developments of children. Physical disability, low intelligence quotient, malocclusions, mouth development disorders and disabilities in chewing and swallowing result in problems related with oral and dental health in the children with mental disabilities. This study was carried out in a Special Education and Rehabilitation Agency which was active in the province of Adana with children with mental disabilities who were aged between 6 and 16. The aim of this study was to find out the oral and dental health conditions of these children, the knowledge, attitude and behaviours of the parents of these children about oral and dental health care, to provide a follow-up training for the parents about oral and dental health care and the necessary treatments for the children in their schools under the supervision of their teachers and parents and to monitor the oral health care conditions and therapies of these children at the end of the second year. A total of 59 children were included in the study. The parents were provided with tooth brushing education. The mean of children?s age was 12,1±2,5 (range: 6-18) and 59,3 % of them were boys and 40,7 % of them were girls. When the type of the disability was considered, it was seen that 11 of them (18,6 %) had down syndrome, 7 of them (11,8 %) were autistic, 36 of them (61 %) had mental retardation and 5 of them (8,5 %) had cerebral palsy. DMFT was found as 2,85 at the end of oral and dental health screening. After the dental treatments of the children who allowed the treatment in the Mobile Dental Health Care Vehicle was completed, screening was made again in the second year and the mean plaque index was found as 1,1±0,7 which was 2,1±1,6 at the beginning.