Oral Health Status, Oral Health Care And Dietary Practices Of Special Needs Children

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Date
2011
Authors
Al-Sanabani, Amal Ali Mohammed
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Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Introduction: Oral health is multifactorial. Children with special health care needs are at greater risk for poorer oral health than normal children Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental caries, periodontal disease, oral hygiene status and oral health care practices and dietary practices and explore its associations among special needs children. Methodology: This cross-sectional descriptive study involved 125 special needs school children in Kota Bharu district. DMFT, CPI and OHI-S indices were used to evaluate caries experience, periodontal status and oral hygiene status respectively. Dental examination was done on portable dental chair with portable light and mobile dental bus equipped with dental chair and lighting. The oral health care and dietary practices questionnaires were distributed and filled by parents. SPSS version 18 was used for data entry and analysis. Descriptive statistics and simple logistic regression was used followed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Prevalence of caries was 88.0%. About 52.9% of children had calculus and 33.9% had gingival bleeding. Only 34.4% of children had good oral hygiene. However, 88.3% of the children reported good oral health care practices and 51.5% reported good dietary practices. There were no associations between prevalence of caries, periodontal disease and oral hygiene status with most socio-demographic factors, reported oral health care practices and dietary practices except age whereby older children had higher OR of having periodontal disease (P<0.05). Conclusions: The reported good oral health care and dietary practices does not necessarily indicate absence of disease or low disease levels.
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Keywords
Oral health status, oral health care , dietary practices of special needs children
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