The oral hygiene and gingival health of paraplegic inpatients ‐a cross‐sectional survey

Abstract

Physical and/or mental handicaps are known to directly or indirectly compromise hygiene habits including oral hygiene. It is recommended that handicapped patients, their parents or care workers require from an early stage dental health education and active involvement in preventive programmes. This study surveyed the oral hygiene of paraplegic patients in a specialised centre to determine their oral hygiene needs. Most patients had moderate to poor oral hygiene and gingivitis was prevalent and severe. Plaque and gingivitis was increased in quadriplegic compared to hemiplegic patients. The data indicate that as part of rehabilitation of paraplegic patients there is a need for oral hygiene programmes to be established.

Unilateral Severe Chronic Periodontitis Associated With Ipsilateral Surgical Resection of Cranial Nerves V, VI, and VII

“…Patients with neurological disease or permanent damage following cerebrovascular accidents face challenges in maintaining proper oral hygiene habits, with poor oral hygiene and gingivitis being common findings 50‐53 . The patient reported here was able to maintain good home care on both sides of her mouth, using either a manual and/or rotary toothbrush with her unaffected, right upper extremity.…”

Inequalities in Oral Health for Children with Disabilities: A French National Survey in Special Schools

“…External consistency of the 24 item list was evaluated by comparing the prevalence of oral disease in the test group to the values founded in previous studies for different groups of children with disabilities. External consistency was good for food texture [21], [18], difficulties in pain communication [22], [23], halitosis [18] drooling [24], [25], presence of dental plaque, calculus and gingivitis [18], [26], [27], missing teeth [28], [29], fractured anterior tooth [30], caries decay [4], [27], [30], [31], dental infectious process [29], severe dysmorphology [32], and lack of compliance during oral examination [4], [33]. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency of the list of 24 indicators for oral health evaluation.…”

Predictors of oral health after spinal cord injury

“…These results extend previous observations made in small samples that people with SCI have increased plaque and gingivitis. 27 Of further relevance are previously reported findings in the same population that people with SCI are largely unaware of their dental problems. 29 Thus, the majority of people with SCI need to be encouraged to seek preventive care and dental and periodontal treatments.…”

“…In a separate study, moderate-topoor oral hygiene and increased plaque and gingivitis were also found in most of the 12 people with tetraplegia examined within 2 years of SCI. 27 Based on a mailed survey, Yuen et al 28 concluded that people with SCI were less likely to have annual dental cleaning, and identified physical barriers and fear of dentists as two factors associated with less frequent visits. Sullivan 29 recently reported that people with SCI are largely unaware of their dental problems.…”