title: The impact of dietary and tooth-brushing habits to dental caries of special school children with disability.
abstract: The daily oral activities may severely influence oral health of children with disabilities. In this survey, we analyzed the impact of dietary and tooth-brushing habits to dental caries in special school children with disabilities. This cross-sectional survey investigated 535 special school children with disabilities aged 6-12 years, 60.93% males, 39.07% females from 10 special schools in Taiwan. Oral examinations were carried out by dentists with a Kappa score of their inter-examiner agreement exceeding 0.8. Data on demographics, diet, and tooth-brushing habits of children with disabilities were collected using a standardized questionnaire completed by parents/caregivers. More than three quarters of the participants were combined with severe or profound disability. Children with profound severity in disability had a higher percentage (67.37%) in teeth-brushing by parents/caregivers compared to those children with mild/moderate severity in disability which had a higher percentage (81.60%) in teeth-brushing by themselves. Children whose teeth were brushed by parents/caregivers had a better dental health, and lower caries prevalence. The main risk factors related to decayed teeth of children with disabilities are frequency of sweets intake, ability to brush teeth and with plaque or not. The dental health education, prevention program and periodical oral check-up to children with disabilities and their parents/caregivers should be reinforced. Brushing skill should be taught to children according to their type, severity and individual characteristics of disability.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiu-Yueh
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chun-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-Chia
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ru-Ching
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Cheng-Chin
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chi-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Shun-Te
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004519:Education, Special; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*