An analysis of the accessibility of dental care and prophylaxis of children living in the county of Šiauliai

The relevance of the problem and the purpose of the work. Persons with a disability in Lithuania are very often faced with difficulties in obtaining proper dental care. Doctors dental practitioners should try to focus on these patients more than usual. The aim of the study is to find out if children with disabilities living in the county of Šiauliai receive enough knowledge about the prevention of oral cavity, or whether dental care is easily accessible to them. Material and methods. The study involved 109 disabled childrens parents or guardians. Parents responded to questionnaire 29 regarding child hygiene habits, visits to a dentist, general anesthesia. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test or the dispersion analysis, Chi-square (χ^2) criterion was used to analyze the data. Results. The respondents often go to a dentist only once a year (50.5%). 48.1 percent of parents up to 40 years old started to clean teeth for children when the first teeth emerged and 49.1% of elderly parents do not remember when they started to clean teeth for children. 75 percent of respondents receive information from a dentist. 75.2 percent of respondents said that dental practitioners always provide the necessary dental care. 75.9 percent of patients who have not been treated for general anesthesia have not even been informed about such a treatment. Conclusions. Parents feel that they have enough information about oral cavity care, but on the basis of the results there is an insufficient amount of knowledge about oral care and the importance of visiting a dentist. Most children receive the necessary dental care. There is no difference between urban and rural populations‘s knowledge of oral care and treatment. Disabled children's daily oral hygiene habits are satisfied