Challenges during the Dental Care of Children with Disabilities
Session
Medical, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Description
Management and dental treatment of children with disabilities is a challenge for the dentist, particularly for specialist of pediatric dentistry. Oral health is of great importance in maintaining overall health, especially in children with special needs, including those with chronic systemic diseases. According to WHO "A handicapped child is considered a person who is not in full physical or mental condition for participation in normal activities of his peers, including those of a social, recreational, educational and speaking nature”. Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Disabled children are divided into these disabilities: Mental- delays in mental development with lower IQ intelligence; Physical -birth defects in extremities, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and Medical - chronic systemic diseases which are considered as risk to overall health during dental treatments. For these disorders, dentist should have knowledge about psychological type of the child. In many cases when there is no cooperation with the child, premedication is needed prior to dental treatment. When all possibilities are used, general anesthesia should be initiated after the consent of the physician who follows the overall state of health. The lack of oral health care, or oral hygiene as well as dental treatments, endangers general health in chronic systemic-medical disabilities such as: Cardiovascular diseases, especially heart abnormalities, blood disorders, some endocrine and immunodeficiency diseases. Preventive dental measures, including information about oral hygiene and regular dental visits, have an important role on the overall health protection of these patients.
Keywords:
Oral health, children, dental treatment, disabilities
Session Chair
Burim Kiseri
Session Co-Chair
Vjosa Hamiti Krasniqi
Proceedings Editor
Edmond Hajrizi
ISBN
978-9951-437-54-7
Location
Durres, Albania
Start Date
28-10-2017 5:45 PM
End Date
28-10-2017 6:15 PM
DOI
10.33107/ubt-ic.2017.296
Recommended Citation
Rexhepi, Aida; Krasniqi, Vjosa Hamiti; Agani, Zana; and Loxha, Mergime, "Challenges during the Dental Care of Children with Disabilities" (2017). UBT International Conference. 296.
https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference/2017/all-events/296
Challenges during the Dental Care of Children with Disabilities
Durres, Albania
Management and dental treatment of children with disabilities is a challenge for the dentist, particularly for specialist of pediatric dentistry. Oral health is of great importance in maintaining overall health, especially in children with special needs, including those with chronic systemic diseases. According to WHO "A handicapped child is considered a person who is not in full physical or mental condition for participation in normal activities of his peers, including those of a social, recreational, educational and speaking nature”. Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Disabled children are divided into these disabilities: Mental- delays in mental development with lower IQ intelligence; Physical -birth defects in extremities, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and Medical - chronic systemic diseases which are considered as risk to overall health during dental treatments. For these disorders, dentist should have knowledge about psychological type of the child. In many cases when there is no cooperation with the child, premedication is needed prior to dental treatment. When all possibilities are used, general anesthesia should be initiated after the consent of the physician who follows the overall state of health. The lack of oral health care, or oral hygiene as well as dental treatments, endangers general health in chronic systemic-medical disabilities such as: Cardiovascular diseases, especially heart abnormalities, blood disorders, some endocrine and immunodeficiency diseases. Preventive dental measures, including information about oral hygiene and regular dental visits, have an important role on the overall health protection of these patients.