Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2009
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Electronic ISSN:
1754-2758
Vol:
10
Issue:
2

Oral hygiene education programme for intellectually impaired students attending a special school

Abstract Background: The oral health of individuals with intellectual impairment in Greece has been found to be poor, particularly their periodontal status, mainly due to lack of oral hygiene. Aim: To test a school-based programme for young adults with intellectual impairment, by evaluating their plaque removal efficacy when trained weekly for three months and the effectiveness of this programme, two years after training. Design: The sample consisted of 57 students with intellectual impairment, mean IQ 45 and mean age 21years-old, who attended a special school in Athens, Greece and whom it was thought could be trained in oral hygiene practices. For three months, students watched a weekly oral health presentation, practised brushing on model teeth, had their plaque disclosed and recorded by OHI-S index and then brushed their own teeth under supervision. Plaque was re-evaluated two years after training. Results were analysed using paired t-test. Results: The mean plaque scores before and after training were 10.9 and 9.3 respectively. This improvement was statistically significant (p<0.05). Those students who attended more than six sessions demonstrated the greatest improvement in plaque scores (p<0.05). At the end of two however, students were less efficient in plaque removal and the mean plaque scores were not statistically significantly different from the baseline. Conclusion: This weekly, school-based oral health programme has been effective in improving the oral hygiene of students with moderate intellectual impairment. However, to be effective long-term it has to be delivered continuously.

Key words: intellectual impairment, oral health, toothbrushing

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
1
Page End
7
Authors
K Kavvadia, A Polychronopoulou, K Taoufik

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 0
  3. 0

  1. An overview of the Oral Motor Function Therapy Clinic in the Special Care Unit in Westmead Hospital, Australia
  2. 1
  3. 12

  1. Recruitment difficulties associated with epidemiological surveys of the dental health of children with a Statement of Educational Special Needs in four PCTs in the Northwest of England in 2006/7
  2. 1
  3. 8

  1. An investigation of the caries experience of children with an intellectual disability living in a residential centre or at home
  2. 1
  3. 4

  1. Evaluation of the impact of dental status and salivary secretion on people with dysphagia
  2. 1
  3. 6

  1. Further abstracts from the IADH Congress, Santos, Brazil October 2008
  2. 1
  3. 1

  1. Oral hygiene education programme for intellectually impaired students attending a special school
  2. 1
  3. 7

2024 rates