Assessment of oral health status of children with special needs in Delhi, India

Resumo

Children with special needs are considered to be a
high risk group for dental diseases especially dental caries and
periodontal diseases. Objective: Assessment of oral health status of
children with special needs in Delhi, India. Material and methods:
A cross sectional survey was conducted on 414 children with special
needs belonging to four different disability groups i.e. Intellectually
Disabled (ID), Physically Challenged, visually and hearing impaired.
WHO Oral Health Assessment Form for children, 2013 was used for
assessment of various parameters of oral health among the study
population. Results: Of the 414 children, 305 were males and 109
females. Overall caries prevalence was 38%. Mean DMF value was
3.71 with ID children having higher mean than the other groups.
A significant positive correlation was also observed between age
and dental caries. Gingival condition was also worse in ID children
and best in physically challenged ones. Highest numbers of trauma
cases were recorded in visually impaired group. Delayed eruption
of permanent teeth was most common in hearing impaired. 98.7%
children required some form of dental treatment. Conclusion: Oral
health of children with special needs was poor and urgent attention
is required to plan a comprehensive dental health care programme
for them.