Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Study regarding the oral health in children from the Constanta city School for the disabled

Irina Totolici, Corneliu Amariei, Luiza Ungureanu, Albertine Leon

The aim of this paper is to investigate children of the Constanta School for the disabled and to ascertain
the diseases encountered as well as the possible correlation with their handicap, along with the
possibility of implementing certain oral health programs, carried out by the help of Dental Medicine
students during the preventive and community dentistry clinical practices.
259 children aged 6 to 18 years old are registered in Constanta School for the disabled. Our study
comprised a batch of children from grades I-IV, who are also subjected to oral rinses with fluoridated
solution. 87 boys and girls aged 7-14 years old were examined according to a special clinical
record. Our results show that the first place is taken by children with medium mental disability
(50%), the second by children with slight mental disability (29%) and the last by those with severe
mental disability (21%). Our data are similar to those in the literature, in which dental caries take
the first place regarding the frequency. Thus, simple and complicated decay in temporary teeth is
40%, while in permanent teeth, it rises to 45%.
Taking into account the specificity of the study batch and comparing our clinical data with those of
other authors, made on normal children, we can state that the percentage of all diseases is much
higher in disabled children, fact that triggers the need of applying oral prevention programs and
individualized curative treatment methods in these patients.