| Summary: | 碩士 === 高雄醫學大學 === 口腔衛生科學碩士在職專班 === 93 === Oral Health and Related Factors of
Institutionalized Children with Disabilities in Taiwan
Abstract
Background: In recent years there has been an increase in the number of disabled people. Disabled children are less likely to receive dantal treatment than normal children due to inconvenience, whether they are living in the community or institutions. Moreover, they are less co-operative in treatment, consume more sweets and drinks, and the attitude of parents and care-givers are all factors attributing to childrens’ oral health. If children can improve their caries problem, it will facilitate the healthiness of their teeth and body as they grow into adulthood. Taiwan still lacks oral condition analysis and research on disabled people, on a credible sample size. Hopefully this research will give a deeper insight into this area.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the disabled children who are under age 18: 1. Current oral health condition which included: primary teeth and permanent teeth caries experience index, decayed teeth, missing teeth, filled teeth, caries prevalence rate, filling rate and periodontal status. 2. The related factors of disability oral health status such as dietary and living habits, oral cleaning habits and the experience of dental visits.
Methods: The samples were taken from disabled children who live at institutions and schools in Taiwan. A total of 2,321 people were divided into three age groups: under 6, 7-12 and 13-18 years old, with a simple size of 297, 408 and 1616 respectively. The average age was 13.5 years old. The oral examinations were carried out by dentists. The dietary habits, oral health habits and status of daily activities were collected in a standardized questionnaire. Stratified cluster sampling design and Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) were used, a database was designed using MS Access and data were analyzed using SAS and JMP.
Results: The results showed that disabled children whose age is under 6 have an average deft index 4.19, dt 3.24, et 0.35, ft 0.60, a caries prevalence of 63.30% and a filling rate of 17.5% in the primary teeth. For the age group between 7-12 years old, who have an average dft+DMFT index 3.97, dt+DT 2.73, MT 0.40, ft+FT 0.84, a caries prevalence of 88.18% and a filling rate of 34.55%.The age group between 13-18 years old, whose permanent teeth has average DT 0.82, MT 0.04, FT 0.39, caries prevalence88.18% and filling rate 34.55%. For the plaque index, the children whose age was under 6, 7-12 years old and 13-18 years old have 52.85%, 72.79% and 82.30% respectively. For the gingival idex, the children whose age was under 6, 7-12 years old and 13-18 years old have 42.42%, 60.78% and 72.25% respectively. %. For the calculus index, the children whose age was under 6, 7-12 years old and 13-18 years old have 11.45%, 13.04% and 44.01% respectively.The first molar teeth between 7-12 age group showed DMFT index of 1.26, DT 0.82, MT 0.04, FT 0.39 a caries prevalence of 50.25% and the filling rate was 65.47%, in the 13-18 age group it showed DMFT index of 2.18, DT 1.07, MT 0.22, FT 0.88 caries prevalence79.95% and filling rate 57.99%.
Conclusion: Children under 18 with disabilities, according to the caries experience index, the caries prevalence rate, the oral health status and periodontal status are far more serious than healthy children. Disabled people could be affected by the oral status, level of disability, type of institution, frequency of eating -sweets, eating gesture, the ability to clean teeth, the frequency of brushing teeth, dental treatment under general anesthesia, the attitude of dentists and routine oral examinations. It is therefore important to train oral hygienists, enhance the professional knowledge and clinical experiences of the dentists regarding the needs of the disabled. Moreover, the knowledge of complete facility and caregivers is also very important.
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