Dental Caries Status in Mentally Challenged Children in Comparison with Normal Children

Ab s t r Ac t Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the oral health conditions and dental caries status in disabled and healthy children. Materials and methods: Two groups of randomly selected children aged 3–12 years were examined. The first group comprised 100 children with disabilities (cerebral palsy, mental retardation, Down syndrome, autism, and hearing–speaking disorders) and the second (control) group included 100 healthy children. The examined children were selected from a normal school and from schools that take care of the disabled children. A clinical examination was performed using a mirror and probe, which revealed the presence of dental caries as well as missing (extracted) and filled teeth. All clinically detected cavitations were recorded as dental caries. The degree of oral hygiene was evaluated according to the OHI-S index values, which were determined by marking the plaque with 1% eozine solution. Results: The values of OHI-S index ranged from 3.9 to 4.56 in disabled children and from 2.84 to 2.94 in healthy children. In disabled children, the average dft values were 3.52 in deciduous teeth and 5.34 in mixed dentition. In healthy children, the average dft values were 1.53 in deciduous teeth and 5.21 in mixed dentition. The average DMFT index in disabled children was 1.51 for mixed and 6.48 for permanent dentitions. In healthy children, the average DMFT values were 1.33 in mixed and 4.84 in permanent dentition. Conclusion: In general, the results revealed a significantly poor level of oral hygiene and quite a high level of caries prevalence in disabled compared to the healthy children, accentuating the need to organize preventive care measurements and improve dental care among the disabled.