People with Disabilities Dental Treatment

Dental Treatment for the Disabled Oral and Dental Health for the DisabledDisability; Due to the postings; is the fulfillment of basic activities such as travel, experience, breathing, training, training, training, non-education, training and/or basic.

According to studies conducted by UNESCO, 10% of Turkey's population, that is, approximately 6.5-7 million people, is thought to be disabled. As in the rest of the world, disabled people experience many social and health problems in our country. While 85-90 percent of healthy individuals experience oral and dental health problems, it is seen that this rate is close to 100 percent in disabled people. The most important reason for this is that oral and dental health can be ignored while dealing with general health problems in disabled patients. Therefore, disabled patients are in the high risk group for oral and dental diseases. Oral and dental health problems frequently encountered in disabled people; bleeding in the gums, rotten teeth, bad breath, swallowing problems, drooling problems. There are several reasons why oral and dental health problems are more common in children with disabilities: Mouth and Teeth Structure, some genetic conditions or high fever may cause the tooth enamel of disabled children to be affected and thus become more prone to tooth decay. Congenital absence of teeth, deformities in the teeth and crowding of the teeth are also seen in many disabled children. Serious gingival diseases are also frequently encountered due to these dental problems and most of all, the inability to provide correct and regular oral and dental care. Physical Restrictions Teeth are naturally cleaned by saliva with processes such as chewing and swallowing. However, due to the coordination disorder in the lip, cheek and tongue muscles seen in some disabled children, this cleansing feature of saliva disappears. Especially children with diseases affecting the muscles (muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, etc.) have difficulty in performing preventive actions such as ideal tooth brushing and dental floss. Special Diets (NUTRITION) Children with chewing and swallowing problems often feed on soft and sticky foods in the form of puree. These foods stick to the teeth and cause the teeth to decay much more quickly. Consuming sugary foods constantly and putting drinks such as milk and fruit juice in a bottle while sleeping causes tooth decay to be seen more frequently. In addition, people who need the help of someone else to drink something do not benefit enough from the washing and cleaning effect of liquids (especially water), since they consume less liquid than normal people. Individuals who have to constantly take drugs in syrup form may be more exposed to dental caries due to the sugar in the syrups. Drugs (Dilantin, etc.) that epilepsy patients use constantly can also cause problems such as bleeding, swelling / growth in the gums. In these patients, problems such as speech, aesthetic problems or nutrition are frequently seen due to gingival enlargement. The regulation of muscle coordination, allergic conditions or sedative drugs (Barbiturates, Antihistamines, etc.) given for sedative purposes cause a decrease in salivary flow. Caries and gingival diseases are more common due to decreased saliva flow. In individuals who use aspirin continuously, if the aspirin is kept in the mouth before swallowing, the acidic environment it will create may cause the onset of dental caries. Since disabled patients cannot do their own oral care, the parents of the patients have a great responsibility in this regard. A special effort should be given to the daily oral and dental care of patients by their families or caregivers. What should be done to protect the oral and dental health of disabled people? First of all, special attention should be paid to eating habits. Dental caries occurs very quickly and easily due to sugar-containing foods such as milk, ready-made food and fruit juices consumed by bottle-fed disabled people. For this reason, teeth should be cleaned with a toothbrush, if possible, or a clean cheesecloth after each feeding. They should not be fed at night unless absolutely necessary. • The main cause of tooth decay is sugary, acidic foods that easily stick to teeth and gums. If a special diet for the disabled is not recommended, foods containing plenty of sugar and carbohydrates should not be consumed as much as possible; When it is to be consumed, it should never be given between meals, these foods should be consumed in the main meals. • If tooth brushing is not possible for disabled people who have to be fed pureed, soft foods, the mouth should be rinsed after the meal or food residues should be wiped clean. • Since most of the drugs in syrup form contain sugar, more attention should be paid to oral and dental care in those who use these drugs constantly. • The patient's teeth should be brushed by his parents or caregivers, the patient should be taken to regular dentist checks and preventive applications from caries should be made. In terms of trust, patient follow-up should be done by the same dentist, if possible. You can brush your child's teeth in any room where there is sufficient light. For example, if your child is in a wheelchair, the kitchen or bathroom may be ideal for brushing teeth. If your child is in bed, you can brush his teeth by slightly raising his head, rinse with water with the help of a glass or a straw and make him spit into a bowl. The best place for brushing is where your child feels comfortable and where you believe brushing is best done. You can brush your child's teeth in many positions. Supporting your child's head is important. Stand behind the wheelchair. Use your arm or chest to support your child's head and brush their teeth. Or sit in the back of the wheelchair. After checking the brakes of the wheelchair, tilt the chair slightly towards your knees and clean your teeth. In the absence of a wheelchair, have your child sit on the floor and you sit in a chair behind him. Let your child gently rest his head against your knees. If it's inconsistent, you can use your legs to stabilize your hands. If in bed; put your child on your knees. Brush his teeth by supporting his head with your hands. If your child is incompatible and resists brushing, then you can brush their teeth with the help of a second person. Remember, in whatever position you brush; you should make sure that the child's head is well supported. Things to consider in tooth brushing techniques; Place the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle where the teeth meet the gums. Brush the tooth surfaces with circular and back-and-forth movements without pressing too hard. Start brushing from the upper jaw. Brush the cheeks first, then the palate and chewing surfaces. Do the same for the lower teeth. Make sure all teeth are brushed. Brush the back of the front teeth with back and forth movements, holding the toothbrush upright. For a fresh breath, it is necessary to brush on the tongue. To prevent dental caries, teeth must be brushed regularly every day. Dentist checks should be done every 6 months without interruption. Regular checkups ensure early detection of problems before they get bigger. Dental Treatment for Disabled Patients As in healthy individuals, dental health problems in disabled individuals differ from person to person. Treatment and psychological behavior options vary according to the personality, emotional state and medical condition of the disease. The dental treatment of these patients includes various difficulties for both the patient and the physician due to the lack of physical and/or mental adaptation. While the treatment of adaptable patients can be performed under local anesthesia or with sedation support, the treatment of severe mental or physical disabilities can only be performed under general anesthesia. Under general anesthesia, the treatment of all teeth can be done in a single session. Every tooth lost in disabled patients brings bigger problems. Speech and chewing problems that occur with tooth loss can reduce the efficiency of the child's education and life. Most patients cannot adapt to using prostheses and other appliances. For this reason, it is very difficult to continue with their lives with missing teeth. Due to dental treatment problems in disabled individuals, it is of great importance to make regular dental check-ups and prevent caries. Having healthy teeth and gums is the most natural right of all children. Children with healthy teeth can chew food better, eat better, and speak more clearly and clearly by saying the letters better. The aesthetic appearance of healthy teeth also increases the self-confidence of children. For this reason, attention should be paid to oral and dental health, which is the beginning of their general health. <strong>What is Disabled Dental Treatment? </strong>Dental treatment is very important for all disabled people, whether they are children or adults. According to the recommendations of dentists, our disabled citizens should be specially informed about dental health, especially starting from childhood, and they should be trained on this subject. In this way, our disabled individuals who become habitual will minimize the dental discomfort that may occur. We can say that this is the initial stage of treatment in disabled individuals. However, for this, the parents or caregivers who take care of disabled individuals should be conscious of this issue. Most of the time, due to the special situation of the patient, dental and oral care may remain in the background. For this, first of all, patient relatives should be informed. Seeing disabled patients regularly to the dentist will also minimize possible oral and dental problems. As we have said, both the awareness of caregivers and the regular brushing of teeth etc. for disabled individuals. It is very important to care and to visit the dentist regularly. <strong>How is it done? </strong> Even if we perform the above-mentioned operations, we may encounter different problems. For example, the treatment processes of severely disabled patients with a high degree of disability may be slightly different from those of normal patients. Since these patients cannot be treated under normal conditions, they are generally treated with anesthesia. Dental treatment with anesthesia is the preferred method for these severely disabled patients. In this treatment, first of all, the patient is checked and examined by the anesthesiologist and reanimation specialist, and if no problem is found, the treatment is started. Dentists can finish the treatment in one go by being put to sleep with general anesthesia in the operating room. With the completion of the treatment process without any problems, our disabled patients regain their oral and dental health.