Evaluation of Tooth-Brushing Skill in Children with Mental Disabilities

Objective: The aim of study was to determine the prevalance and incidence of dental caries and to maintain more effective tooth brushing skill in children with mental disabilities. Methods: The target population included “trainable” subjects with IQ level between 25-45 who attended a special education and practice school (7-17 years old). In the first year of the search a total of 28 children were examined and caries status were determined. The same examinations were repeated in the second year with 49 children. At the end of the second year, 17 children , aged between 7-13 years, were chosen in order to practice a training programme about tooth brushing for 8 weeks. In this group, plaque indexes (PI) and the tooth brushing success were determined by using a tooth discoloration method, before and after training procedure. Data were analized using Wilcoxon non-parametric method. Results: The findings of the first and second years were following: First exam-(DMF/T=2,54, DMF/S=5,70 and df/t=2,1, df/s=5,1 ) and second exam-(DMF/T=2,88, DMF/S=6,44 and df/t=2,67, df/s= 6,67). The results of 33 children who were examined in first and second years showed an 6,7 % increase in the one-year caries incidence (D/T=1,79-1,91).The mean PI value of the children in the 1st class (n=10) was reduced from 4,61(±0,69) to 4,47(±0,83) after the training (P>0,05) and the number of coloured surfaces was reduced from 82% to 62,5% after training (P<0,05). The mean PI value of the children in the 2nd class (n=7) was reduced from 3,96(±1,07) to 3,5(±1,24) after the training (P<0,05) and the number of coloured surfaces was reduced from 91% to 53,5% after training (P<0,05). Conclusion: A supervised tooth brushing programme for 8 weeks showed a successful effect to maintain an improved brushing skill in mentally retarded children; this improvement may be more effective with more practices of tooth brushing.