Dental Disease Prevalence and Correlates in Adults with Disabilities
- ”The oral health status of 4.732 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Morgan, J.P., Minihan, P., et al. JADA. (2012).
Abstract: Two reports by the U.S. surgeon general noted the disproportionate impact of oral disease on and lack of oral health information regarding people with disabilities.
- ”At-home oral care for adults with developmental disabilities: A survey of caregivers,” Minihan, P., Morgan, J. P., et al. JADA. (2014).
Abstract: Little is known about effective at-home oral care methods for people with developmental disabilities (DDs) who are unable to perform personal preventive practices themselves and rely on caregivers for assistance.
- Nathan J. Wilson, Zhen Lin, Amy Villarosa & Ajesh George (2018): Oral health status and reported oral health problems in people with intellectual disability: A literature review, Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2017.1409596.
Abstract: Background: People with intellectual disability (ID) experience poor oral health and are at greater risk of dental decay and periodontal diseases. This impacts on their general health and well-being. This review summaries the research literature about oral health status and contributing factors to poor oral health
Method: We conducted a literature review using “intellectual disability” and “oral health” as our two core areas of focus.
Results: People with ID had poorer oral health, greater numbers of tooth extractions, more caries, fewer fillings, greater gingival inflammation, greater rates of endentulism, and had less preventative dentistry and poorer access to services when compared to the general population. Anxiety during dental procedures was a key issue for females with ID.
Conclusions: Further research is needed to identify, pilot and test appropriate and effective interventions that can reduce this preventable health disparity. The design of an ID-specific dental anxiety scale is another priority.
Specific Interventions, Fluoride
- ”Effectiveness of fluoride in preventing caries in adults,” Griffin, Regnier, et al. J Dent Res. (2007).
Abstract: To date, no systematic reviews have found fluoride to be effective in preventing dental caries in adults. The objective of this meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of self- and professionally applied fluoride and water fluoridation among adults. We used a random-effects model to estimate the effect size of fluoride (absolute difference in annual caries increment or relative risk ratio) for all adults aged 20+ years and for adults aged 40+ years. Twenty studies were included in the final body of evidence. Among studies published after/during 1980, any fluoride (self- and professionally applied or water fluoridation) annually averted 0.29 (95%CI: 0.16-0.42) carious coronal and 0.22 (95%CI: 0.08-0.37) carious root surfaces. The prevented fraction for water fluoridation was 27% (95%CI: 19%-34%). These findings suggest that fluoride prevents caries among adults of all ages.
- ”Fluoride Effectiveness in high caries risk and medically complex veterans,” Jurasic, Gibson, et al., Community Dent Oral Epidemiology. (2014)
Abstract: The Global Burden of Disease Study showed there was a 34.5% increase in years lived with disability due to dental caries from 1990 to 2010. With the aging of 76 million baby boomers, dental caries will continue to pose a significant challenge for older adults.
- ”Longitudinal Outcomes of Using a Fluoride Performance Measure for Adults at High Risk of Experiencing Caries,” Gibson, Jurassic, et al., JADA. (2014).
Abstract: Staff of the VA Office of Dentistry, the dental care arm of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Health Administration, developed a performance measure (PM) regarding appropriate fluoride use. The authors hypothesized that after the implementation of this PM, veterans at high risk of experiencing caries would require fewer new dental restorations than in the past.
Caregiver Training
Chronic Disease Management
- ”Chronic Disease Management Strategies of Early Childhood Caries: Support from the Medical and Dental Literature,” Edelstein & Ng, Pediatric Dentistry. (2015).
Abstract: An Institute of Medicine report places chronic disease management (CDM) as an intervention on a treatment spectrum between prevention and acute care.
- ”Disease Management of Early Childhood Caries: ECC Collaborative Project, Ng et al. International Journal of Dentistry. (2015).
Abstract: Until recently, the standard of care for early childhood caries (ECC) has been primarily surgical and restorative treatment with little emphasis on preventing and managing the disease itself.
- ”Progress in Early Childhood Caries and Opportunities in Research, Policy, and Clinical Management,” Garcia et al. Pediatric Dentistry. (2015).
Abstract: The 2014 Early Childhood Caries Conference encompassed evidence-based reviews on the state of the science regarding early childhood carries (ECC) epidemiology, etiology, prevention, and disease management.
- "Guest Editorial, Our dental care system is stuck, And here is what to do about it," Vujicic, M. (2018). Guest Editorial, Our dental care system is stuck, And here is what to do about it. Journal of the American Dental Association. 149(3). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2018.01.006.
