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Review
. 2020 Sep:110:107174.
doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107174. Epub 2020 Jun 9.

Dental health in persons with disability

Orrin Devinsky  1 , Danielle Boyce  2 , Miriam Robbins  3 , Mariel Pressler  4
Affiliations
Review

Dental health in persons with disability

Orrin Devinsky et al. Epilepsy Behav. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Systemic and structural barriers limit dental health for individuals with special healthcare needs (SHCN), who have poorer dental hygiene, higher rates of dental disorders, and less access to oral care. We aimed to understand these barriers directly from the patient and caregiver population as well as review the literature on oral health of individuals with SHCN. We reviewed the literature on individuals and caregivers of those with SHCN to identify barriers to dental healthcare faced by these individuals. We focused on clinical and educational interventions to support clinicians treating this population. For the literature review, PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar were searched. We also relied upon the knowledge gained during the course of routine clinical care and patient advocacy activities. Published manuscripts were searched for the following Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) term: "Dental Care for Disabled" and the following subheading: pharmacology, adverse effects, ethics, methods, standards, and therapy. Relatively few dentists have formal training on caring for those with SHCN. Barriers faced by these individuals include accessibility, comorbidities, communication challenges, and barriers to home oral hygiene. Strong care coordination and communication between dentists, caregivers, and other providers is essential for positive outcomes. Our current dental healthcare system has failed to meet the needs of those with SHCN. The comfort and dignity of the patient are of paramount importance.

Keywords: Dental care; Developmental delay; Epilepsy; Oral health; Special needs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Orrin Devinsky has financial interests (stock options, investment, advisory board positions, and/or consulting arrangements) with the following business entities: Privateer Holdings, Tilray, Inc., Empatica, Tevard, Engage, Receptor Life Sciences, Egg Rock/Papa & Barkley, RETTCO, PAIRNOMIX, Greenwich Biosciences, and Zogenix. He is a noncompensated scientific advisory board member of the following groups: Sudden Unexplained Death in Children Foundation, KBG Foundation, Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, Dup15 Alliance, Epilepsy Foundation SUDEP Institute, CDKL5 Program of Excellence, KCNQ2 Cure Alliance, CURE DHPS, HNRNPU Foundation, KBG Foundation, and Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures. Danielle Boyce has no current financial conflicts of interest but previously worked as a consultant for Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals and Eton Pharmaceuticals. She currently serves as an unpaid scientific advisor and data analyst to the Gould Syndrome Foundation and COPD Foundation. The other authors have no competing interests to report.