Oral health, medical diagnoses, and functioning profiles in children with disabilities receiving paediatric specialist dental care : a study using the ICF-CY

Purpose: To describe 0–16-year-old children with disabilities receiving paediatric specialist dental care from a biopsychosocial perspective, with focus on relationship between oral health, medical diagnosis, and functioning. Method: A questionnaire with an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health – Children and Youth version (ICF-CY) Checklist for Oral Health was completed using structured interview, direct observation, and information from dental records. Descriptive data analysis was performed together with principle component analysis to calculate factors of functioning used in cluster analysis in order to present functioning profiles. Results: Ninety-nine children with at least one major medical diagnosis were included. Twenty had previous caries experience. Two factors of functioning were calculated, labelled “Physical ability” and “Intellectual ability, communication, and behaviour”. Based on functioning profiles three clusters were determined. There were no statistically significant differences in caries experience between medical diagnoses or clusters. Conclusion: It was possible to identify profiles of functioning in children with disabilities receiving specialist dental care. Despite complex disabilities, the children had good oral health. Neither medical diagnosis nor functioning was found to have a clear relationship with oral health. To understand the environmental context leading to high-quality oral health, further studies of dental management in relation to medical and oral diagnoses and child functioning are needed