Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
October 2003
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Electronic ISSN:
1754-2758
Vol:
4
Issue:
2

The oral and dental health of children in special national schools in the Eastern Regional Health Authority Area, Ireland 1999/2000

Aim: An investigation of the oral health of children attending special national schools in the Eastern Regional Health authority (ERHA) of Ireland. Sample: An opportunistic sample of 704 children from 12 special national schools. Outcome measures: Caries experience, fissure sealants, periodontal and restorative treatment needs, dental attendance patterns and tooth brushing habits. Results: Children attending special national schools (SNS) had a lower prevalence of decay than children attending mainstream schools. They had more teeth filled compared with other surveys of children at SNS and comparable levels to their mainstream counterparts. Younger children at SNS tended to have had more teeth extracted than children at mainstream schools, however fewer teeth were untreated. In the older age groups, fewer teeth had been extracted but more had been filled than has been found in other surveys of children at special schools. Thirty-eight per cent of 12-year-olds and 45% of 15-year-olds had fissure sealants. This is a high value compared with other surveys of children in special schools. Plaque scores and CPITN scores were high with only 4.7% of 15-year-olds and 8.6% of 12-year-olds having healthy gums. Many of the children scored CPITN scores that require treatment at a low level. The findings for the group as a whole mask differences between the types of schools in this survey. Children at special national schools mainly attend health board dental services for their treatment and most parents and children find this an acceptable service. The dental screening programmes appear to be a good way of delivering dental care to these groups. Key words: Special needs, epidemiology, oral health status

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£15.00
Page Start
69
Page End
76
Authors
Conac Bradley, Triona McAlister

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 50
  3. 50

  1. Do health care professionals refer housebound people to dental services? Referral behaviours and characteristic factors
  2. 51
  3. 57

  1. Incidence of dental caries in children and young adults with Down syndrome in Kuwait
  2. 58
  3. 63

  1. Perceived dental needs and experiences of preventive dental care of patients attending a paediatric cardiology clinic
  2. 64
  3. 68

  1. The oral and dental health of children in special national schools in the Eastern Regional Health Authority Area, Ireland 1999/2000
  2. 69
  3. 76

  1. Short Communication - The impact of childhood disability and chronic illness upon siblings
  2. 77
  3. 78

  1. An investigation into the dental health of children attending two special day schools in South Warwickshire
  2. 79
  3. 84

  1. Atypical facial pain in a patient with Moebius syndrome
  2. 85
  3. 88

  1. BSDH News
  2. 89
  3. 102

  1. British Society for Disability and Oral Health European Year of Disability Special Award – Primary Care Setting
  2. 104
  3. 104

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