Journal of Disability and Oral Health
- Cover Date:
- October 2000
- Print ISSN:
- 1470-8558
- Electronic ISSN:
- 1754-2758
- Vol:
- 1
- Issue:
- 1
The expressed dental needs of patients attending a Haemophilia Reference Centre
Aim: To assess the expressed dental needs of children and adults attending a Haemophilia Reference Centre (HRC) and to establish whether they perceive a need for a dedicated dental service connected with the HRC. Method: Postal questionnaires were sent to 92 children and 108 adults enquiring about their bleeding disorder, difficulties encountered in acquiring dental treatment, problems resulting from it and where they would prefer to receive dental care. Results: Sixty two questionnaires were returned for children and 68 for adults with response rates of 67% and 63%, respectively. More adults (30, 44%) than children (11, 18%) reported difficulty in obtaining care. The most frequent cause was concern about bleeding (14%). For adults, HIV and/or a hepatitis positive status also caused problems in accessing dental services. More adults (38%) than children (11%) had experienced problems of bleeding or bruising after dental treatment. Despite these problems, 94% of children and 71% of adults reported having a regular dentist, usually a general dental practitioner. Children were less likely than adults to put off going to the dentist (4% and 27%, respectively). The majority of children (61%) preferred to go to a family dentist whilst the majority of adults (66%) preferred to have treatment at, or linked to, the HRC. Most respondents (74%) said they would use a dental service linked to the HRC, though some, especially children, would use it as a back up to their local dental service. Conclusion: The majority of people were receiving regular dental care via the general dental service. However, there was an expressed need for a dental service related to the HRC. Most adults requested comprehensive care at the HRC while children wanted it only as a back-up to their family dentist. This probably reflected the adults greater experience of barriers to dental care. Key words: Dental needs, haemophilia, bleeding disorders
- Article Price
- £15.00
- Institution Article Price
- £15.00
- Page Start
- 20
- Page End
- 25
- Authors
- M P Smith, G F Savidge, H E Pitt Ford, Janice Fiske
Articles from this issue
- Title
- Pg. Start
- Pg. End
- Treatment of a drooling habit in Congenital Muscular Dystrophy with a palatal training plate. A case report
- 10
- 12
- Development of an attitudinal scale for dental personnel in the provision of care for people with learning disabilities
- 26
- 30