A "No New Cavity" Approach for the Differently Abled Children

Background: Differently abled children are the part of our society and often their dental hygiene is neglected because of their medical condition . Parents are more concerned about their underlying medical condition than their oral hygiene . Various studies have shown that these children are often associated with ECC. Although there have been improvement in the health care system in our country in recent years , the dental hygiene of these children still remains questionable in rural areas and the lower socio economics groups. So there is a need to plan a programme for these children which will involve their parents as well as caretakers and will help them to maintain good oral hygiene and prevent any new caries lesion to occur.

Methodology: Differently abled children were selected as a study group. Their oral hygiene , caries status , current stage of caries in each tooth and tooth brushing skills were assessed. Oral health education was imparted to the children and the caregivers using visual pedagogues. All these data were reassessed at the intervals of 3, 6 and 12 months.

Results: The mean ASHKENAZI and ICDAS II scores showed statistically significant improvement in the scores of the study group at the end of the study. The knowledge and attitude of the parents and teachers about oral hygiene, before and after the study showed significant changes.

Conclusion: `No New cavities` programme was proved to be a successful in improving the oral hygiene and tooth brushing skills of the children . These practices coupled with the topical application of fluoride further aided in the prevention of new caries formation . The programme benefitted the parents and the caretakers as well, which is clearly evident in the improvement in their knowledge and attitude towards a dental health