Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs for Children with Special Needs: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Abstract Objective: To determine the oral health status along with the treatment need among Arabian children with special health care needs. Material and Methods: Fifty-seven special health care needs children aged 17 or younger, studying at RAK-RCD were recruited for the study. In addition to demographic data, the subjects were screened for the type of disability, oral health status, dental caries, occlusion abnormalities, and type of treatment required. Dental caries was recorded according to the WHO oral health survey criteria and methods. Oral hygiene status was recorded as good, fair, or poor according to the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (S-OHI). Occlusion anomalies were categorized using Angle's classification of occlusion Results: Fifty-four subjects aged 3-17year old, comprising 70.4% males and 29.6% females participated in the study. There were 7 (13%) subjects in the 3-5 years age group, 23 (42.6%) in the 6-10 years age group, and 24 (44.4%) in the 11-17 years age group. Twenty-two (26%) subjects had Down Syndrome (DS), 14 (25.9%) Mental Disability, 9 (16.7%) Autism, 5 (9.3%) deafness and hearing loss and 4 (7.4%) multiple disabilities. Forty-six (85.2%) had dental caries with a mean dmft/DMFT score of (5.67± 4.69). Only eight (14.8%) were caries-free. Thirty-five (64.8%) had good oral hygiene, 25.9% fair oral hygiene and 9.3% poor oral hygiene, with statically insignificant differences across gender (p=0.43), age groups (p=0.11). Nevertheless, there was a significant difference between oral hygiene and the types of disabilities (p=0.0004). Up to 41% of the subjects required oral prophylaxis, 89% restorations, 13% extractions, 20% orthodontic treatment, and 11% dental prosthesis Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases among the subjects. The study highly recommends the education of the children's parents and caregivers on the need for diet modification, meticulous oral hygiene, and regular dental visits. Furthermore, there is a great deal of oral health program the RAK Rehabilitation Center for Disabled need to achieve.