Latin-American Special Olympics athletes: evaluation of oral health status, 2010.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oral health status and dental needs of the athletes with intellectual disabilities from Latin-American and Caribbean countries who were participating in the II Latin-American Special Olympics games held in Puerto Rico, February 2010. METHODS: There were 930 athletes who participated in the games, of whom 445 received a dental examination, including 367 from Latin-American and 78 from Caribbean countries. Forty-four trained and standardized dental professionals performed dental screenings of athletes with intellectual disabilities, following Special Olympic Special Smiles and CDC protocols. These criteria were used to record untreated caries, missing and filled teeth, and gingival status. Socio-demographics, existence, and severity of pain and oral hygiene habits were assessed by questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using EPI-INFO and SPSS Statistical Program to produce descriptive statistics and chi-square test. RESULTS: Untreated dental caries was recorded for more than half of the examined athletes. Missing teeth were noted in more than one-third of the athletes. More than half of the participants had signs of gingival disease and half needed preventive mouth guards. Statistics for each Latin-American country suggests a dissimilar trend of dental decay and treatment needs among nations. CONCLUSIONS: While the Special Olympic athletes may not be representative of the entire population of individuals with intellectual disabilities in their specific country, the general consistency of the oral health status of these athletes from the 31 countries supports the certainty of the need for increased dental services for individuals with intellectual disability in the respective countries.

Dentistry for Mexicans with special needs: a commentary.

There are more than 2 million residents with disabilities in Mexico. Despite national legislation to assure individuals with disabilities needed services, including education and employment, social inclusion of these individuals is difficult since societal views exclude them from functioning as members of a community. While there are no national studies of the dental needs of individuals with disabilities in Mexico, reports of the general population indicate limited use of dental services and the need for increased restorative services. Examples of dental education accreditation standards in other countries are used as models for the improvement in the preparation of dental students to provide services for individual with special needs.

Latin American and Caribbean dental schools: teaching about special needs / Escuelas de odontología de América Latina y el Caribe: enseñanza sobre necesidades especiales

OBJECTIVES: Assess the extent of the teaching of care for individuals with special needs in schools of dentistry in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and deans and program directors' willingness to introduce such programmatic modules into the curricula. METHODS:The survey instrument (a short-answer questionnaire modeled from the U.S. Curriculum Assessment of Needs Project) was delivered to a survey sample gleaned from all LAC dental schools listed in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Directory of Medical Schools through a Web-based survey tool that delivered the questionnaire via e-mail and stored and displayed responses graphically and in real time. Schools with incorrect or insufficient e-mail/contact information or a primary working language other than Spanish or Portuguese were excluded from the study. A total of three attempts (by e-mail and telephone) were made to follow up nonrespondents. RESULTS: More than half of the 142 respondents indicated their students were receiving less than 5 hours of didactic training and less than 5 hours of clinical training in the care of individuals with special needs. Of these 142 respondents, 23 percent and 30 percent, respectively, reported that no curricula hours were needed for didactic or clinical training focused exclusively on care of individuals with special needs. Emphasis on the difficulties in developing such programs was placed on lack of faculty experienced in the care of patients with special needs. CONCLUSION: There is a need for increased didactic and clinical preparation of graduates of LAC dental schools in the care of individuals with special health needs.

OBJETIVOS:Evaluar en qué grado se enseña sobre la atención a las personas con necesidades especiales en las escuelas de odontología de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) y la disposición de los decanos y los directores de programas de introducir estos módulos en los currículos. MÉTODOS: Se envió una encuesta (un cuestionario de respuestas breves modelado a partir del U.S. Curriculum Assessment of Needs Project) a todas las escuelas de odontología de ALC incluidas en el Directorio Mundial de Escuelas de Medicina de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Para ello se empleó una herramienta de encuesta en línea que enviaba el cuestionario por correo electrónico y almacenaba y presentaba las respuestas gráficamente en tiempo real. Se excluyeron las escuelas con información de contacto/correo electrónico incorrecta o insuficiente y las escuelas cuyo idioma de trabajo no era español o portugués. Se hicieron tres seguimientos (por correo electrónico y teléfono) a las que no respondían. RESULTADOS: Más de la mitad de las 142 escuelas que respondieron afirmaron que sus estudiantes recibían menos de 5 horas de entrenamiento didáctico y menos de 5 horas de entrenamiento clínico para la atención de personas con necesidades especiales. De los 142 encuestados, 23 por ciento y 30 por ciento informaron que no se necesitaban horas curriculares para el entrenamiento didáctico o clínico, respectivamente, enfocadas exclusivamente en la atención de personas con necesidades especiales. En cuanto a las dificultades para desarrollar estos programas se observó un mayor énfasis en la falta de profesores con experiencia en la atención de pacientes con necesidades especiales. CONCLUSIONES: Se necesita aumentar la preparación didáctica y clínica de los graduados de las escuelas de odontología de ALC en la atención de personas con necesidades especiales.

A review of the oral health of individuals with disabilities in Puerto Rico and among U.S. Hispanics.

More than 51 million U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized residents have some form of long-lasting disability, including almost 1 million residents of Puerto Rico. The goal of this report is to review available data in an effort to stimulate recognition of the oral health needs of Puerto Rican residents with disabilities. The authors conducted a review using a series of U.S. Census Bureau reports to develop comparative relationships between Puerto Rican residents, the total U.S. population and the total U.S. Hispanic population. The review compared the proportion of these groups with disabilities, the proportion of the population who live below the poverty threshold, and oral health status. The review of available government and private agency data for the general population indicates that the percentage of Puerto Rican residents with disabilities is greater than the percentage of the total U.S. population and the total U.S. Hispanic population. In addition, compared to the total U.S. population, a greater percentage of total U.S. Hispanic children is living in poverty, has unmet dental needs, is uninsured for health services, and has not visited dentists for extended periods. Particularly limited information is available regarding the oral health needs and services for Puerto Rican residents with disabilities. It is essential for future government and private agency surveys and reports to emphasize the economic status of the Puerto Rican population, recognize the distribution of particular disabilities among the various racial/ethnic populations, and increase general attention to the oral health of the residents of Puerto Rico with specific concerns regarding individuals with disabilities.

Puerto Rican athletes with special health care needs: an evaluation of oral health status.

PURPOSE: Limited data are available regarding the oral health of individuals with disabilities who reside in Puerto Rico. The Special Olympics Special Smiles oral health screening, education, and referral program provides an opportunity to explore the dental status and needs of Special Olympics athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the oral health status of Special Olympics athletes participating in an event in Villalba, Puerto Rico in 2004. METHODS: A total of 161 self-selected athletes with intellectual disabilities were screened by 4 trained and calibrated dentists utilizing the criteria standards of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Special Olympics Special Smiles, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed for decayed, filled, and missing teeth. Oral hygiene, reports of oral pain, and sociodemographic information were recorded. The statistical test used was the chi-square test to establish associations and logistic regressions. Data were analyzed using EPI-INFO and SPSS programs. RESULTS: Almost 45% of examined athletes (mean age=19 years) had untreated dental decay; 33% had missing teeth, 60% had gingival signs of periodontal disease, and 16% reported dental pain. CONCLUSION: Results of clinical examinations indicate a population with intellectual disabilities that is in significant need of preventive and restorative oral health needs.

Hispanic children: an increasing reality in pediatric dental practice.

By the end of the current decade, the 11.5 million Hispanic children (less than eighteen years of age) in the United States will represent the largest population of minority children. Almost 48 percent of all Hispanic persons living in poverty were children (1989). Data show great need for dental care among these people, with only limited access to adequate care.