Nothing to smile about

Disabled children are 30 per cent more likely to have dental decay, than non-disabled children and disabled adults are 20 per cent more likely to have no teeth at all if they are over 55, when compared with non-disabled adults.

The Chairperson of the National Disability Authority (NDA), Angela Kerins, has described the current dental care system for disabled people as "ad-hoc and unsatisfactory".

The first National Oral Health Surveys of children and adults with disabilities took place in 2002-2003. Research has shown that people with disabilities are more likely to have oral health problems and require more treatment than the rest of the population. Research done in Northern Ireland showed that among a group of 153 older people with special needs they each had 1.2 teeth on average.

A report entitled Oral Health and Disability – the way forward done by the NDA, the Dental Health Foundation and Trinity School of Dental Science has highlighted some of the major problems in this area.

These challenges include dental treatment of a person who may have poor understanding, uncontrolled movements, limited mobility, or medical problems. Another issue is the physical access of a disabled person who might have difficulties getting into a dentist's chair. One of the major issues the report highlights is the frequent use of General Anaesthetic (GA) as a way of carrying out necessary, but often routine, procedures on disabled people. In a study carried out over a 12 year period of 410 long-stay residents with a learning disabilities, it was found that 75 per cent of them needed a general anaesthetic for the purposes of providing their dental treatment.

The report makes a number of recommendations to improve the dental services for the disabled.

They propose providing education for the dentals sector – disability awareness training for the dentists, and promoting accessibility.

A key recommendation is early intervention – in order prevent dental problems later in life. They also recommend that a seal or a quality mark should be introduced for oral practitioners who specialise in treating people with disabilities. It concludes that research into the issue of oral health and the needs of disabled people, their family members and carers must be conducted.

Emma Browne