Parents’ oral health promotion efforts for their children with Down syndrome and the children's oral health

• Published in: Special Care in Dentistry
• Main Author: Wan Roselan W.N.; Bawawi S.N.; Baharuddin I.H.; Wan Mokhtar I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: John Wiley and Sons Inc 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85137699748&doi=10.1111%2fscd.12774&partnerID=40&md5=8dfb598417d0b9ee885125f21f970a2d

Aim: The study evaluated parents' oral health care experiences and practices for their children with Down syndrome and its effect on the child's teeth and gingiva's condition. Method: 75 parents of children with Down syndrome between 0 and 16 years of age responded to 18-item bilingual questionnaire concerning their child's oral health status. Result: Most parents rated their child's teeth and gingiva health as good. There is no correlation found between experience score and practice score (r = −0.057), and no correlation between practice score on the child's both teeth (r = −0.001) and gingiva's condition (r = 0.031). Conclusion: The parental oral health care experience and practices for their children with Down syndrome are deemed sufficient. However, a tailor-made comprehensive oral health care for them is very advisable, thus eradicating the barriers and challenges. © 2022 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC.