A Survey of Dental Needs of Special Education Children in the Jerusalem City.

The present study attempted to determine the dental health status and the needs for dental care among two    age groups in the community of the non-institutionalized special education children, living 

in the Jerusalem city. The dental health status and needs for dental care were determined by the use of specific indices: DMFT/dmft and OHI-S. Relationships between oral dependent and independent variables were measured. The two age groups were composed of 179 12 year-old children and 68 5 year-old children. In the 5 year-old group, 32.4 % were "caries free". The mean score for dmft among this group was 4.2. The index for treated teeth was higher in the non-religious group. The mean score for DMFT among the 12 -year-old group was 3.45. The DMFT scores were higher for the non-religious group, but the FT component was higher in the religious children. The FT score was 2 times lower for girls then for boys.

It was also found that the oral hygiene, in general, was rather poor in both age groups. There is a correlation between the oral hygiene and the prevalence of caries (at age 12). As well, it was found that girls had better oral hygiene than boys (p<0.01).

From the results it appears that dental caries among the children of special education at the ages of 5- and 12 -year -old is higher than in the general population in the same age group. It also appears that the oral hygiene is rather poor. The dramatically low utilization of dental care is reflected by very low FT/ft's components in both age groups. This strongly emphasizes the need for intensive preventive intervention and calls for the establishment of dental care on a public health basis, where, such the measures as prevention and treatment will be taken.