A survey of oral health in a population of adults with developmental disabilities: Comparison with a national oral health survey of the general population

Abstract

During 1991, an oral health assessment of 101 adults with developmental disabilities aged from 21 to 53 years was undertaken as part of a broader health survey which also included medical, psychological and nutritional assessments. The study group consisted of a random sample of adults chosen from the developmentally disabled population known to be living in the lower North Shore area of Sydney. This paper describes the results of the oral health assessment and compares them with an oral health survey of the Australian population done in 1987/88. Forty-six per cent of the study group were males (mean age 33.5 years) and 54 per cent were females (mean age 33.0 years). Compared with similar age subgroups in the Australian population, the following factors were more frequently reported in the developmentally disabled group: a dental visit in the last 12 months (65 per cent vs 50 per cent; Odds Ratio (OR) 1.9:95 per cent Confidence Interval (CI): 1.3-2.8); use of public rather than private dental services (42 per cent vs 6 per cent; OR 11.3:95% CI 7.5-16.9); oral mucosal pathology requiring treatment (15 per cent vs 2 per cent; OR 8.5:95% CI 5.2-13.8); severe periodontal disease (16 per cent vs 3 per cent; OR 6.9:95% CI 4.2-11.4); and moderate to severe malocclusion (26 per cent vs 11 per cent; OR 2.1:95% CI 1.3-3.5). Fiftyeight per cent of subjects felt they needed no dental treatment but on examination of the oral mucosa, periodontal tissues and teeth, over 90 per cent were found to require some sort of dental treatment.

Oral healthcare of clients with learning disability: changes following relocation from hospital to community

“…This observation tallies with those of other similar studies that indicate that care staff often do not appreciate the importance of oral health 19,32 and/or are unaware of the oral healthcare needs of their clients. 18 In agreement with studies of patients with learning disabilities resident in the community in the UK 14 and Australia 29 the present group of patients received dental care from a general dental practitioner or professional staff of the community dental service, although it is unclear if the choice of dental clinician reflected the opinions of the carer, degree of physical disability 2,30 or the access or facilities of the clinic. While the majority of the present group of clients were managed in a clinic, 35% were treated in their homes.…”

“…It is already known that only about 60% to 70% of people with learning disability will be regularly examined by a dentist. 29,30 It is, however, concern- Table 4 Reasons for lack of dental attendance in the preceding 12 months of residence in the community (Total n = 106) ing that 24% of the present group of patients had not received a dental examination within the previous year of communitybased living, despite knowledge that they might have been able to cope with a dental examination, as they had all had dental care when hospitalised. There is controversy as to the recommended frequency of dental examinations, but at least one expert has recommended annual examination 31 and there is no reason to suggest it should be carried out less frequently in a group of individuals who are acknowledged to suffer from dental disease more than the general population.…”

“…Although other studies have investigated the provision of community-based dental care for adults with learning disabilities 12,14,28,29 none have directly examined access to, and quality of, dental care provided in long-term hospital care compared with that in the community. The results of the present study reveal that such clients may not receive as frequent oral examinations when resident in the community as they did when they were in long-stay hospital residency.…”

Dental care among young adults with intellectual disability

“…One of the reasons for this association might be the higher incidence of toothache among those with ID (Scott, March, & Stokes, 1998), and that young adults with ID are highly vulnerable to lack of adequate preventative dental care, which might be a result of the absence of dental insurance. The toothache might also serve as an indicator of poor dental care.…”

Access to dental care among adults with physical and intellectual disabilities: residence factors

“…However, there are limited published data in Australia about dental care of this population. 2,3 While the National Survey of Adult Oral Health 2004-06 4 studied adults aged 15 years or more, it did not specifically identify whether study participants had disabilities. In a study of 101 adults with developmental disabilities in the North Shore area of Sydney, Scott et al 3 reported that 65 per cent had a dental visit in the last 12 months.…”