Dental caries in disabled children in Moldova

Abstract

Caries experience in disabled children in Moldova is analyzed Dental caries in disabled children in Moldova 1 in this work, in an attempt to present a clear picture of it, to attract the experts' attention as well as to determine the disastrous effects of missing or delaying treatment on quality of life of children and to plan preventive measures. Methods: A case control study on disabled children was conducted between ■ 2011 and 2012. The study population comprised 2278 disabled children aged I from 1 to 18 years. For comparison, 2296 healthy children were randomly selected. Clinical data were collected on dental caries according to the World i Health Organization’s index criteria. The following indices have been estimated: ! prevalence index (PI) of dental caries, and DMFT index, prevalence and , severity of the oral health impact on the quality of children's life (Child-OIDP ; index). The study was conducted in compliance with ethical requirements, i SPSS programme was used for statistical analysis. i Results: Significant differences were noted in the frequency of dental caries among subjects with disabilities and their healthy controls (p<0.001). Dental 3 caries was present in 73.0±0.9% of children with disabilities as compared with i 47.2±1.0% of children (t=12.9; p<0.001) from the control group. Mean DMFT I values in disabled children and healthy controls were 5.2±0.1 (CI:5.0-5.2) and . 3.7 ±0.1 (CI:3.6-3.8), (t=11.9; p<0.001) respectively. The probability of dental 3 caries in the group of disabled children is 3 times higher (OR=3.04. 95%CI: 2.7- i 3.4) than children without disabilities. The prevalence of the impact of oral cavity 3 diseases on children's daily activities has enhanced the severity in children with disabilities reaching 69.30%. Diseases of oral cavity affected food consumption, 1 hygiene of oral cavity, emotional stability and appearance functions. The main k causes of these effects are: untreated dental caries and its complications, toothache, and extraction of permanent teeth. To reduce dental caries and periodontal diseases "The oral health programme in children with disabilities and special educational needs” worked out, it having been implemented since Conclusion: Significant differences were noted in the frequency of dental caries among subjects with disabilities and their healthy controls. Dental care for children with disabilities could be better harmonized in Moldova. There fore specific preventive dental care and dental treatment strategies should be introduced in order to reduce caries prevalence and the number of extracted teeth in people with disabilities. The results of this study will be used to select the methods and remedies to prevent dental caries in children with disabilities.