Dental health care at the disabled children's rehabilitation center in Riyadh

Sixty-six disabled children, 3 to 14 years old, attending the Disabled Children's Rehabilitation Center (DCRC) in Riyadh between March 1993 and July 1994 were evaluated before and after treatment. The types of dental problems found in the disabled child, the causes of the handicap, the pattern of dental treatment carried out and the management techniques used in providing care are reported. Personal, medical and dental data were recorded and analyzed. Main etiologic factors for disabilities were congenital or due to perinatal events and 78.8% of the children had cerebral palsy. The oral problems included dental caries 79%, poor oral hygiene 37.8%, bruxism 24% and malocclusion 15%, The treatment modalities carried out were prophylaxis in 15%, restorations including pulp therapy in 81.8%, exodontia in 19.7% and interceptive orthodontics in 3%. All types of treatment were achieved under local anesthesia [LA] with or without restraint. Premedica-tion such as Vallergan 3.5 mg/kg or Phenergan 1 mg/kg body weight was used for proper management of the patients. An aggressive prevention program is recommended along with other proven methods in the dental care of disabled children. The experiment of making dental treatment readily available to the disabled children in Riyadh appears to be succeeding