Evaluation of oral health conditions of patients with Special Needs

Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health of patients with Special Needs (SN), and identify the difficulties pointed out by their parents for maintaining the oral health.Methodology:The population for this study was made up of 74 students, of both sexes, enrolled who met the inclusion criteria previously established and their parents. This study was conducted in two stages: the first was the application of a form to parents of the students with SN and the second, the achievement of an intraoral clinical examination, by an examiner and recorder calibrated, which evaluated the oral health status of students through the Caries index (CPO-D), Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (IHOS) and presence of dental trauma.Result:It's noted that 75.4% had received some form of dental treatment, of these, 50.9% said they had been in the Basic Health Unit. The caries index was 12.6 (±8,4), 52% had poor hygiene oral and the dental trauma was observed in 19.3% of analyzed students. With respect to delivery, 51% of mothers reported having had a normal pregnancy and 54.4% were never oriented in relation to the oral health care of the child. Among the difficulties reported by the parents for maintaining the oral health of the SN, 33.3% claimed to be finding a dentist that meets, and 33.3% pointed the cost of treatment.Conclusion:The high rates revealed by CPO-D, as well as poor oral higiene, added to the reported difficulty in performing the dental care of these individuals, show the need to implement more public policy that give more attention to these patients.