Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
April 2006
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Electronic ISSN:
1754-2758
Vol:
7
Issue:
1

Oral hygiene status and behaviour of the special needs children in Lahore, Pakistan

Aim: To investigate the oral health status of individuals with intellectual and medical disabilities in Lahore and compare the results with an age and gender matched healthy control group. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on 424 individuals with a mean age of 10.7 years (age range: 6–17years) at two day schools for individuals with intellectual impairment and Down syndrome. Medically compromised subjects were recruited from the paediatric ward of a local hospital. Age and gender matched controls were selected from one school. Outcome measures: Oral hygiene status and tooth brushing practices. Results: Medically compromised individuals reported highest mean OHI(S) values (poorest oral hygiene) among the three groups. The mean difference was significant between the groups (p< 0.05). Among the compromised individuals, those with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) had poor oral hygiene, followed by persons with mild intellectual impairment. The oral hygiene status of sub-classes of intellectually disabled and medically compromised groups was significantly poorer when compared to normal individuals (p < 0.05). However, the mean difference was not significant among the individual disability groups (p > 0.05). Individuals with special needs had irregular tooth brushing practices when compared with their normal counterparts. The difference between the groups was statistically significant at (p < 0.05). The two main disability groups (intellectual impairment and medically compromised) did not differ significantly in their brushing practices (p=0.602). Conclusions: Individuals with special health care needs had poor oral hygiene and irregular tooth brushing practices as compared to their normal counterparts. There is an essential need to improve the oral health status of this neglected group in society. Key words: Oral hygiene, intellectual impairment, medically compromised, tooth brushing practices

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£15.00
Page Start
43
Page End
47
Authors
Bushra Azad, Noorya Ibrahim, Hafeez Kaleem, Ayyaz Ali Khan, Y Takata, Nazia Yazdanie, Muhammad Shoaib

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - Special Care Dentistry – a reality
  2. 2
  3. 2

  1. Oral health findings in a group of Greek schoolchildren with mild intellectual impairment
  2. 3
  3. 9

  1. A comparison of the effectiveness of chlorhexidine varnish, fluoride varnish and fluoride gel in children with intellectual disability
  2. 10
  3. 16

  1. Feeding habits of children with Down syndrome living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  2. 17
  3. 21

  1. An approach to the restoration of fractured anterior teeth in adolescents with intellectual impairment
  2. 25
  3. 28

  1. The use of hypnosis and systematic desensitisation in the management of dental phobia: a case report
  2. 29
  3. 34

  1. Mortality after full mouth rehabilitation under general anesthesia for a child with Tetralogy of Fallot: report of a case
  2. 35
  3. 42

  1. Oral hygiene status and behaviour of the special needs children in Lahore, Pakistan
  2. 43
  3. 47

  1. The oral health status of Special Olympics athletes in Trinidad and Tobago
  2. 48
  3. 52

  1. The dental management of a patient with erythromelalgia: a case report
  2. 53
  3. 54

  1. BSDH News
  2. 55
  3. 55

  1. Addendum
  2. 56
  3. 56

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