Home oral health practice: the foundation for desensitization and dental care for special needs

Cerebral palsy: Oral manifestations and dental management

Cerebral palsy is a set of non-progressive neuromuscular disorders caused by defects in the developing fetal brain. Its prevalence is about 2:1000. Although CP does not directly result in any particular oral abnormalities, some conditions are more prevalent or severe in CP patients than in the general population. The purpose of a paediatric dentist is to promote overall oral health wellness and to motivate parents and other primary caregivers to practice good oral hygiene at home. The aim of this article is to provide a general overview of dental health issues that affect people with CP and to analyze key preventative and practical management techniques for this common comorbidity.

Association between the caregivers' oral health literacy and the oral health of children and youth with special health care needs

AIM

Previous studies have shown that children of caregivers with low oral health literacy (OHL) had more untreated caries than children of caregivers with adequate OHL. However, there is a paucity of information on this relationship among children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Accordingly, this study aims to assess the association between the caregivers' OHL and the oral health status of CYSHCN.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in four schools dedicated for CYSHCN. A 48-item questionnaire gathered information about the demographic and socioeconomic factors, the child/adolescent's medical condition, dental characteristics, caregiver self-efficacy and the child's dental attitude. The Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK) questionnaire was used to assess the caregivers' OHL. The Löe & Silness gingival index (GI) and the Silness & Löe plaque index (PI) were used to assess gingival health and plaque levels, respectively. Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) were utilized for the selection of the appropriate set of confounding variables for regression analysis. The mean score differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated to quantify the associations of the various covariates with oral health outcome variables.

RESULTS

This study included 214 child/caregiver dyads. Most participants were physically disabled (56.1%) followed by children with hearing difficulty (9.8%) and congenital anomalies/syndromes (7.9%). The mean PI and GI of the children was 1.26±0.52 and 1.30±0.47, respectively. The median CMOHK score was 12 and the respondents were dichotomized based on the median value. Low caregiver oral health conceptual knowledge was significantly associated with higher PI scores (β [95% CI] = -0.26 [-0.41, -0.13]; p<0.001. Older participants (12-21-year-olds) had significantly higher plaque scores compared with younger participants (6-12-year-olds) (β [95% CI] = 0.33 [0.18, 0.51]; p<0.001). Participants who brushed their teeth twice or more daily had significantly lower (β [95% CI] = -0.15 [-0.43, -0.01]; p = 0.046). Conceptual knowledge score was not significantly associated with GI.

CONCLUSION

This study found lower caregiver OHL levels to be associated with higher plaque scores for their child.

Dental health of children with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common chronic motor disorder with associated cognitive, communicative, and seizure disorders. Children with CP have a higher risk of dental problems creating significant morbidity that can further affect their wellbeing and negatively impact their quality of life. Screening for dental disease should be part of the initial assessment of any child with CP. The objective of this article is to present an updated overview of dental health issues in children with CP and outline important preventative and practical strategies to the management of this common comorbidity. Providing adequate oral care requires adaptation of special dental skills to help families manage the ongoing health issues that may arise. As oral health is increasingly recognized as a foundation for general wellbeing, caregivers for CP patients should be considered an important component of the oral health team and must become knowledgeable and competent in home oral health practices.

Avaliação das condições periodontais e de higiene bucal em escolares com transtornos neuropsicomotores

Introdução A doença cárie e as alterações periodontais são problemas frequentemente encontrados em pacientes com deficiência. Objetivo Avaliar as condições periodontais e de higiene bucal em escolares com deficiência neuropsicomotora matriculados em um centro de reabilitação. Método A pesquisa envolveu entrevista com os responsáveis e exame clínico do escolar, para registro do índice de placa e do índice de sangramento. Após o exame, foi realizada profilaxia profissional, orientação de higiene bucal e esclarecimento de dúvidas. Os dados foram observados por meio de estatística descritiva. Resultado A amostra foi constituída por 41 escolares com deficiência neuropsicomotora, com idades entre sete e 14 anos, sendo 20 do sexo feminino (48,8%) e 21 do sexo masculino (51,2%), e com idade média de 10,8 anos. A maioria dos pacientes tinha a figura da mãe como principal cuidador (85%). Observou-se que 71% dos escolares necessitavam de ajuda para realizar a higiene bucal e quase 40% dos cuidadores apresentavam dificuldade para realizá-la, principalmente pelo fato de o paciente “não abrir a boca”. Quase a totalidade dos escolares não usava fio dental. Constatou-se, ainda, que 87,2% apresentaram sangramento gengival à sondagem e que, em 84,7%, verificou-se índice de placa maior ou igual a ‘2’. Conclusão Concluiu-se que os escolares com deficiência neuropsicomotora incluídos neste estudo apresentaram condições periodontais e de higiene bucal insatisfatórias, demonstrando a necessidade de serem instituídas ações preventivas focadas na orientação aos pacientes e cuidadores, para a efetividade da higiene bucal.

Cerebral palsy: a dental update

Special and medically compromised patients present a unique population that challenges the dentist’s skill and knowledge. Providing oral care to people with cerebral palsy (CP) requires adaptation of the skills we use everyday. In fact, most people with mild or moderate forms of CP can be treated successfully in the general practice setting. This article is to review various dental considerations and management of a CP patient.

How to cite this article: Sehrawat N, Marwaha M, Bansal K, Chopra R. Cerebral Palsy: A Dental Update. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2014;7(2):109-118.

Timing of first dental checkup for newly Medicaid-enrolled children with an intellectual or developmental disability

We compared the extent to which having an intellectual or developmental disability was associated with rates at which Iowa Medicaid-enrolled children ages 3 to 8 had first dental checkups after an initial dental examination. We hypothesized that these children would have later first dental checkups than would children without an intellectual or developmental disability. Findings suggest no significant difference in the time to first dental checkup for children by intellectual or developmental disability status. Those who took over 12 months to see a dentist for their initial dental examination were 1.68 times as likely to have an earlier first dental checkup as children whose initial dental examination occurred within 4 months of being enrolled. Results suggest that having an intellectual or developmental disability is not associated with later first dental checkups for this population.

Timing of first dental visits for newly Medicaid-enrolled children with an intellectual or developmental disability in Iowa, 2005-2007

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the relationship between having an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) and the timing of the first dental visit for children who were newly enrolled in Medicaid in Iowa.

METHODS

We identified children aged 3 to 8 years with and without IDD who were newly enrolled in the Iowa Medicaid program in 2005 (N = 5391). We gathered data on presence of IDD, health status, age at baseline, gender, length of Medicaid enrollment, medical care visits, household Medicaid enrollment, urbanization, residence in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), and time of first dental visit through 2007.

RESULTS

About 32% of children had a first dental visit within 6 months of enrollment; this proportion increased to 49%, 64%, and 74% by years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In the unadjusted models, there was no significant difference between children with and without IDD in time to first dental visit (P = .22). After adjusting for model covariates, however, children with IDD were 31% more likely to have a delayed first dental visit (P = .04).

CONCLUSIONS

Newly Medicaid-enrolled children aged 3 to 8 years with IDD in Iowa were significantly more likely to have a later first dental visit. Future interventions should focus on ensuring timely access to first dental visits for all Medicaid-enrolled children, with an emphasis on those with IDD.

Impact of chronic condition status and severity on the time to first dental visit for newly Medicaid-enrolled children in Iowa

OBJECTIVE

To assess the extent to which chronic condition (CC) status and severity affected how soon children had a dental visit after enrolling in Medicaid. Data Source. Enrollment and claims data (2003-2008) for newly Medicaid-enrolled children ages 3-14 in Iowa.

STUDY DESIGN

3M Clinical Risk Grouping methods were used to identify CC status (no/yes) and CC severity (less severe/more severe). Survival analysis was used to identify the factors associated with earlier first dental visits after initially enrolling in Medicaid.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Children with a CC were 17 percent more likely to have earlier first dental visits after enrolling in Medicaid (p < .0001). There was no significant difference by CC severity. Children who lived in a dental health professional shortage area and those who did not utilize primary medical care had significantly later first Medicaid dental visits, whereas these factors failed to reach statistical significance for children with a CC.

CONCLUSION

While newly Medicaid-enrolled children with a CC were significantly more likely to have earlier first dental visits, we failed to detect a relationship between CC severity and the time to first Medicaid dental visit. The determinants of first Medicaid dental visits were heterogeneous across subgroups of newly Medicaid-enrolled children. Future studies should identify the sociobehavioral factors associated with CCs that are potential barriers to earlier first Medicaid dental visits for newly Medicaid-enrolled children.