Oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities (2024)

Program to promote oral hygiene habits in children with intellectual disabilities

2015

An intervention study of health education was conducted in order to assess the impact of a program to promote oral hygiene habits in children with intellectual disabilities (ID). The study was quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test, and included 13 children with intellectual disabilities, ranging between 9 and 12 years old. The program consisted of 6 sessions, whose activities are designed to encourage participation and interest of children with ID. The results showed an improvement in oral hygiene habits. The implementation of programs to promote hygiene, appropriate activities designed with the cognitive level of the population favors the oral health status.

Countering the poor oral health of people with intellectual and developmental disability: a scoping literature review

BMC Public Health

Background People with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) have poor oral health and need support to maintain optimal oral health outcomes. Little is known about how, when and where to intervene for this population. Thus the aim of this review was to summarise the existing evidence surrounding improving oral health outcomes for people with IDD. Methods A scoping literature review was conducted focusing on ‘oral health’ and ‘intellectual disability’. Systematic searches of five electronic databases were conducted in line with the study aims and two authors independently examined all records for relevance, with consensus achieved by a third author. Results A small number of approaches and interventions were identified to support people with IDD to independently maintain optimal oral hygiene. Identified studies highlighted that caregivers play a vital role in the provision of oral health support, emphasising the effectiveness of educational interventions for caregivers. How...

Education/Training Interventions to Improve Oral Health of Adults with Intellectual Disability

Healthcare

People with intellectual disability have poorer oral health outcomes and experience greater difficulties accessing dental services than the rest of the community. Interdisciplinary educational programs for those involved in oral health decision making for people with intellectual disability aim to improve their oral health. This scoping review explored education/training interventions related to the oral health of adults with intellectual disability. Interventions targeted dental health and non-dental health professionals, adults with intellectual disability, and their paid and unpaid supporters. Six electronic databases were searched using PRISMA guidelines and the Crowes critical appraisal tool. The search strategy, plus the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, presented in the body of the manuscript, led to the selection of 20 papers for inclusion into this review. The quality of undergraduate tuition relating to disability was reported to be poor, but students an...

Oral health should be considered when working with adults with intellectual disabilities, and larger, higher-quality studies in this area are needed

Evidence Based Nursing

Oral health of adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review

Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 2019

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

2009

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...

Oral Health Promotion among Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review

European Journal of Dentistry

People with disabilities experience inferior health and poor access to good quality health services as compared with the general population. Optimum oral health is associated with improvement in the quality of life in such patients. As oral diseases are largely preventable, good oral health education can have a positive impact on individuals with disabilities. So, the aim of the study was to review the effectiveness of oral health promotion among individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Seven electronic databases were searched using keywords like intellectual disability/mental retardation/learning disability AND dental health education/health promotion. All records that were identified electronically from this search were subjected to a preliminary review to identify eligible papers. Identified studies were grouped into oral health promotion directed at individuals with IDs, and those aimed at caregivers of people with IDs. Interpretation of the outcomes included the effect...

Improving the oral health of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities: an oral health strategy and pilot study

Evaluation and program planning, 2014

This article presents an oral health (OH) strategy and pilot study focusing on individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) living in group homes. The strategy consists of four components: (1) planned action in the form of the behavioral contract and caregiver OH action planning; (2) capacity building through didactic and observation learning training; (3) environmental adaptations consisting of additional oral heath devices and strategies to create a calm atmosphere; and (4) reinforcement by post-training coaching. A pilot study was conducted consisting of pre- and post-assessment data collected 1 week before and 1 week after implementing a 1-month OH strategy. The study sample comprised 11 group homes with 21 caregivers and 25 residents with IDD from one service organization in a Midwestern city. A process evaluation found high-quality implementation of the OH strategy as measured by dosage, fidelity, and caregiver reactions to implementing the strategy. U...

Oral hygiene programmes for people with intellectual disabilities

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017

Importance of Oral Hygiene and Maintaining Oral Health in Persons With Disabilities

2021

This paper aims to approximate and facilitate the routine of daily oral hygiene for persons with disabilities, as well as to emphasize the importance of educating persons with disabilities and their caregivers about oral health as an essential part of overall health. Desk research of electronic databases was conducted with the aim of writing this paper, using the following keywords: ‘oral hygiene’, ‘dental plaque’, ‘oral health’ and ‘persons with disabilities’. Literature research has shown that persons with disabilities have poor oral hygiene, as well as that there is a lack of education among them and their caregivers about the importance of oral health and proper oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene can affect a person’s quality of life due to discomfort during eating, bad breath, poor selfesteem, pain, and disturbed sleep, which is a result of caries or other diseases of the oral cavity. Maintaining oral health is an essential part of overall health.