Assessment of Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of Institutionalized Children With Special Needs in Poonamallee, Chennai: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background Dental caries represents a pervasive chronic pediatric ailment that significantly hinders normal patterns of nutrition intake, speech articulation, and daily activities. Notably, children with special needs emerge as a particularly susceptible demographic concerning dental afflictions, specifically in the context of dental caries and periodontal diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the oral health status of children with special needs in Poonamallee, Chennai, India. Methodology This cross-sectional survey involved a total of 1,114 children with special needs, classified into two groups, namely, intellectually disabled and physically challenged. The assessment of various oral health parameters in the study population was performed using the World Health Organization's Oral Health Assessment Form for Children 2013. For quantitative variables, mean and standard deviations were considered. The significance of the difference between quantitative variables was tested using an independent t-test. Statistical significance was set at p-values <= 0.05. Results Of the 1,114 children, 552 were females and 562 were males. Overall dental trauma was noted in 21%. The average decayed missing filled teeth (DMFT) value was 0.74, with intellectually disabled children exhibiting a higher mean compared to the physically challenged group with a mean value of 0.72. Additionally, when assessing gingival conditions, children with intellectual disabilities displayed more unfavorable outcomes compared to their physically challenged counterparts. A need for dental intervention was observed in 97.3% of the pediatric population. A statistically significant difference was found for missing teeth (M) in the DMFT index between the intellectually disabled and physically challenged groups. Conclusions The results of this study emphasize the less-than-ideal oral health condition among children with special needs, highlighting the urgent necessity for the creation of a comprehensive dental healthcare program tailored to their specific needs.