Comparison between oral health status of institutionalised and home stay disabled children in western Maharashtra region

Background: Parents and caregivers of differently-abled children while focusing on the primary medical issues may not pay adequate attention to their dental care. In this study, we assessed and compared the oral health status of differently-abled children (aged 7-17 years) from structured institutionalized versus home care conditions in the Western Maharashtra region, India. Materials and Methodology: The study consisted of 100 differently-abled children (aged 7-17 years), each under structured institutionalized or home care conditions. For each child, decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed, extracted, or filled deciduous teeth (deft) index and oral hygiene status were assessed. Results: Differently-abled children under structured institutionalized care showed lower caries experience in both primary and permanent teeth as compared to differently-abled children who were under home care conditions. Conclusions: The DMFT/deft score was less in Group B compared to Group A. The overall oral hygiene was poor in both groups. Educating the parents and primary caregivers on improving the dental care of differently-abled children is necessary.