Impact of Oral Health Behaviors on Dental Caries in Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Guangzhou, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Zifeng Liu²  Dongsheng Yu¹  Wei Luo¹  Jing Yang¹  Jiaxuan Lu¹  Shuo Gao¹  Wenqing Li¹  Wei Zhao¹ 

[1] Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomotology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510055, China; E-Mails:;Faculty of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; E-Mail:

关键词: dental caries;    prevalence;    intellectually disabled child;    oral health behavior;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph111011015

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Dental care is consistently reported as one of the primary medical needs of children with disabilities (IDC). The aim of the present study was to explore the influence of oral health behaviors on the caries experience in children with intellectual disabilities in Guangzhou, China. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 477 intellectually disabled children, 12 to 17 years old, who were randomly selected from special educational schools in Guangzhou. A self-administered parental questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and oral health behavior variables, and 450 valid questionnaires were returned. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the factors associated with dental caries. The average age of those in the sample was 14.6 years (SD = 1.3), 68.4% of whom were male, and the caries prevalence rate was 53.5% (DMFT = 1.5 ± 2.0). The factors significantly affecting the development of dental caries in IDC included gender, the presence or absence of cerebral palsy, and the frequency of dental visits and toothbrushing. In conclusion, the presence of cerebral palsy contributed to an increase risk of caries experience in intellectually disabled children, while toothbrushing more than twice a day and routine dental visits were caries-protective factors. Oral health promotion action may lead to a reduction in dental caries levels in IDC.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.