title: Oral health needs and barriers to dental care in hospitalized children.
abstract: The goal of this study was to examine the oral health status and utilization of dental care reported by hospitalized children. A bedside oral examination was performed on hospitalized children. Past dental treatment and current oral health needs were assessed. The mean age (+/- SD) of 120 enrolled patients was 6.7 (+/- 2.9) years (range 3 to 12); 60% were males. The age of the patients' first dental office visit was 3.5 +/- 1.8 years, with 28% having never seen a dentist. Unmet oral health needs (e.g., untreated dental caries) were noted in 42% of children, and soft tissue (mucosal) abnormalities in 59% of children. Children with chronic medical conditions reported barriers to receiving dental care more often (24%) than children with acute medical conditions (3.5%) (p=0.04). A high prevalance of unmet oral health needs and soft tissue abnormalities was identified in a hospitalized pediatric population. Children with chronic medical conditions were more likely to experience barriers to obtaining dental care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicopoulos
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: M Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: Tegwyn H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Brickhouse
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Philip C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Lockhart
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric