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Objective and subjective oral health care needs among adults with various disabilities

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Abstract

Objectives

The present study explored the objective and subjective oral health care needs and the association between both among Belgian adults with disabilities.

Materials and methods

A two-stage sampling methodology was used to select a sample of adults (22–65 years old) with disabilities, from various types of residential settings, day care centers, and sheltered workplaces and spread over the ten provinces. Oral screenings were performed by 28 trained dentists; subjective oral health care needs were collected through questionnaires.

Results

Seven hundred seven adults with disabilities were recruited; from 656 (93 %), permission was obtained for an oral examination. In 467 (78 %) and 407 (68 %) participants, dental plaque and calculus, respectively, were observed. In 343 (56 %) participants, untreated caries lesions (into dentine) were recorded; 203 (33 %) participants had 20 or less teeth. The prosthetic replacement of missing teeth was poor. Exactly 228 (40 %) participants stated that they had a problem in the oral region, and 264 (48 %) indicated that they were in need of an appointment with a dentist. Barriers to consult a dentist were reported by 244 (42 %); fear (n = 87; 37 %), followed by financial and transportation problems (both, n = 68; 29 %), was the most frequently reported barrier.

Conclusions

The preventive as well as curative oral care needs in Belgian adults with various forms of disabilities are very high.

Clinical relevance

Efforts to tackle these vast oral health care needs should take into account the differences in needs and demands between subgroups and should comprise the improvement of access to proper care.

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Acknowledgments

The research presented in this paper was performed within the frame of the Pilot Study Oral Health for Individuals with Special Needs, by order of the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI). The authors are indebted to Mrs. Anne-Marie Van Holder and Mrs. Diane Van Cleynenbreughel for their excellent coordination of the project and to Kris Bogaerts, I-Biostat, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Universiteit Hasselt for statistical analyses. The authors would like to thank all dentist-examiners, the participants and their caretakers, the various care facilities for collaboration in the study, and the members of the advisory committee of the Pilot Study Oral Health for Individuals with Special Needs.

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Correspondence to Roos Leroy.

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Leroy, R., Declerck, D. Objective and subjective oral health care needs among adults with various disabilities. Clin Oral Invest 17, 1869–1878 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-012-0879-x

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