PREVENTIVE EDUCATION FOR INTELLECTUALLY CHALLENGED CHILDREN AND THEIR CAREGIVERS

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the early diagnostic and school based screening possibilities of healthy and intellectually challenged children (ICC) in Hungary.

Methods: Ethical approval of the survey was given by the Regional Research Ethic Committee of Medical Center, University of Pecs, No. 6308. In the first part of our study institutes and foundations (for ICC) were selected randomly from the list available on the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration website for a survey on their oral screening opportunities. In the second part the data of 50 previously treated ICC were collected and compared to 50 age/gender related healthy patients according to their initial diagnoses at the University of Pecs, Paediatric Dentistry Department. For statistical analysis we used the chi-square, and Mann-Whitney tests.

Results: 1. Oral screening is only available in 50% of the ICC institutes, particularly located in the capitol. There is high inequality between the early diagnostics and school based programs of the ICC and healthy children. 2. The analysis of the treated patients showed that the basic dental status of ICC at the first examination was significantly worse than for healthy patients. The time required for examination is also significantly longer for ICC. We found a great inequality of waiting time for treatment: this is significantly longer for ICC (special circumstances are needed, and also the organisation is slower).

Conclusions: ICC and their families or caregivers need intensive, individual and special preventive health education. We created a protocol for these patients to try to maintain oral health and to stabilise oral health status.