Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
December 2010
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Vol:
11
Issue:
4

Oral health and children with an intellectual disability: a focus group study of parent issues and perceptions.

Aim: Children with intellectual disability are at risk of poor oral health outcomes and it is important to understand the parental perspective to design appropriate services and resources. The aim of this study was to investigate parental issues and perceptions regarding the provision of dental care (both services and home care) for children with an intellectual disability. Design of the study: Parents who care for children with an intellectual disability participated in focus groups and interviews. Thematic content analysis underpinned the coding and interpretation of data. Subjects: Seven focus groups and two interviews were conducted (44 female, 3 male) with participants who were contacted through community support groups and special schools. Results: Many parents reported difficulties (mostly related to behaviour) in providing oral care for their children. Parents related a variety of problems using dental services and obtaining relevant information for a range of reasons relating to parent, child and the service, even when specialist services were available to them. Many parents were concerned about the use of general anaesthetics for simple dental procedures. Some parents shared positive experiences. Conclusions: The use of focus groups provided valuable insights into parent issues and perceptions. These insights are important to inform policy-makers and those health professionals involved in the care of children with intellectual disability. Discussions gave participants an opportunity to share their experiences, which will be useful for service planning for families and training of dental professionals. Many of the parents’ perceived needs should be simple and relatively inexpensive to implement.

Key words: Intellectual disability, focus group, oral health, oral health issues for parents of disabled children

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
171
Page End
177
Authors
Linda Slack-Smith, Melissa Ree, Helen Leonard

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 154
  3. 154

  1. Bisphosphonates, oral implants and osteonecrosis of the jaw: a review and guidelines
  2. 155
  3. 162

  1. Oral health status and dental treatment needs in institutionalised versus non-institutionalised psychiatric patients
  2. 163
  3. 170

  1. Oral health and children with an intellectual disability: a focus group study of parent issues and perceptions.
  2. 171
  3. 177

  1. ‘Emily goes to the dentist’ - oral care for individuals with Down syndrome in the Netherlands
  2. 180
  3. 182

  1. Special Care Dentistry: Developing a highly skilled workforce
  2. 183
  3. 186

  1. Oral radiological findings in a population of athletes at the III Para-Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  2. 187
  3. 191

  1. The impact of dementia on the care of dental implants: a case report
  2. 192
  3. 194

  1. Author Index 2010
  2. 195
  3. 197

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