Empowering caregivers to enhance oral health among children with special needs: An interventional study.

IF 0.9 4区医学 Q3 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

Community dental health Pub Date : 2025-09-15 DOI:10.1177/0265539X251379611

Fatima Dsilva, Punarva M Honnavar, Amarshree A Shetty, Arun Kp Thejaus, Bangalore Appajaiah Yathikumar Swamy Gowda

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Children with special needs face restrictions in dental hygiene due to disabilities. Dental education and preventive measures can significantly improve oral health among children with special needs. This study aims to assess the oral health status of children with Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Down Syndrome and to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventional programs on oral health status in Karnataka, India.

Methods: A quantitative, interventional study with a repeated measures design was conducted among 135 children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, and Down Syndrome. Data were gathered using a Demographic Proforma, the WHO Oral Health Status Questionnaire and WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (2013). The intervention included weekly sessions over 3 months, featuring supervised tooth brushing training, individualised dental counselling for caregivers, interactive educational modules, and distribution of a Pictorial Information Manual in local languages. Data were analysed using SPSS Version 29.0, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results: The study consisting 135 children, oral health status scores as evidenced by statistically significant changes (p < 0.001) indicating improvement in dental health. The Oral health of children shows substantial changes, which were statistically significant (p < 0.001), confirming the positive impact of the intervention.

Conclusions: The study interventions were enriching for caregivers with sufficient information and skill on dental care. The development of the Pictorial Information Manual is a unique manual enriched with of attractive pictures and relevant information on oral health, which was made copyrighted and distributed to caregivers.

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授权照顾者加强有特殊需要儿童的口腔健康：一项介入研究。

背景：由于残疾，有特殊需要的儿童在口腔卫生方面面临限制。牙科教育和预防措施可显著改善有特殊需要儿童的口腔健康。本研究旨在评估印度卡纳塔克邦脑瘫、自闭症和唐氏综合症儿童的口腔健康状况，并评估干预方案对口腔健康状况的效果。方法：采用重复测量设计对135名诊断为脑瘫、自闭症和唐氏综合征的儿童进行定量、介入研究。使用人口统计表格、世卫组织口腔健康状况问卷和世卫组织口腔健康评估表（2013年）收集数据。干预措施包括为期3个月的每周会议，包括有监督的刷牙培训，为护理人员提供个性化牙科咨询，互动教育模块，以及用当地语言分发《图片信息手册》。数据分析使用SPSS 29.0版本，显著性水平设置为p < 0.05。结果：本研究纳入135名儿童，口腔健康状况评分有统计学显著变化（p < 0.001），表明口腔健康有所改善。儿童的口腔健康出现了实质性的变化，具有统计学意义（p < 0.001），证实了干预的积极影响。结论：研究干预措施对护理人员具有丰富的口腔护理知识和技能。《图片信息手册》的编写是一本独特的手册，丰富了有吸引力的图片和有关口腔健康的信息，已获得版权并分发给护理人员。

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来源期刊

Community dental health 医学-牙科与口腔外科

CiteScore

2.20

自引率

11.80%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： The journal is concerned with dental public health and related subjects. Dental public health is the science and the art of preventing oral disease, promoting oral health, and improving the quality of life through the organised efforts of society. The discipline covers a wide range and includes such topics as: -oral epidemiology- oral health services research- preventive dentistry - especially in relation to communities- oral health education and promotion- clinical research - with particular emphasis on the care of special groups- behavioural sciences related to dentistry- decision theory- quality of life- risk analysis- ethics and oral health economics- quality assessment. The journal publishes scientific articles on the relevant fields, review articles, discussion papers, news items, and editorials. It is of interest to dentists working in dental public health and to other professionals concerned with disease prevention, health service planning, and health promotion throughout the world. In the case of epidemiology of oral diseases the Journal prioritises national studies unless local studies have major methodological innovations or information of particular interest.