Oral Health Status of Special Children in City of Manila

In the Philippines, there are more than 79,000 children with disabilities enrolled in public schools whose oral health condition needs assessment. Objective: The study aimed to assess the oral health status and oral hygiene practices of special children in selected public elementary schools in Manila. Method: Purposive sampling was used to select the subject. Oral examination was performed to determine the def/DMF and Plaque Index. Questionnaire was used to determine the profile and oral hygiene practices of the subject. Using the level of significance of 0.05, chi-square was used to determine the relationship of oral hygiene practices with the category of disability. Result: Among the 110 subjects: most were 10 – 12 years old (36 or 32.7%); majority were male (64 or 58.2%); majority of the category of disability was hearing impairment with 52 or 47.3%; most were Grade I level (34 or 30.9%); most were studying at P. Gomez Elementary School – Silahis ng Kaunlaran (35 or 31.8%); 42 or 38.2% were first born child with one or two siblings comprising 57 or 51.8%; Occupation of the parents: fathers – do not have jobs (19 or 17.3%); mothers, 76 or 69.1%, were plain housewives. The def/DMF Index of the subjects was poor (8.28) and the plaque index was fair (1.17). Oral hygiene practices reveals 50 or 45.4% visit the dentist once a year (P-value = .63, no significance), 51 or 46.4% brush their teeth twice a day (P-value = .64, no significance), 77 or 70% never use dental floss (P-value = .34, no significance) and 75 or 68.2% never use mouthwash to rinse their mouth (P-value = .78, no significance). Conclusion: The oral health needs of special children in public elementary schools are neglected thus resulting to a poor oral health condition.