Dental Home for Children with Special Needs in Qatar: Analyzing Their Dental Health Issues and Challenges faced by Families to Acquire Dental Care

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar.
Results: 302 questionnaires were completed by caregivers of children with special needs (response rate 92%)
70% of children had developmental delay,20% had musculoskeletal disabilities, remaining had respiratory compromise(on non- invasive ventilation),learning,visual and hearing disabilities.92% of the children had multiple co-morbidities
Regarding their children’s dental problems,45 % stated multiple problems(pain, cavities, halitosis, broken teeth, and teeth discoloration),whereas 10% complained only of cavities.
Upon inquiring about oral hygiene habits care of their children, around 70% reported daily use of toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash. However 8% of them performed no oral hygiene routine.

70% of children didn’t have a routine dentist visit in last year due to reasons such as long appointment time(25%),difficulty in child`s mobility(17%),perception that dental care is expensive(9%),lack of dentist’s experience in dealing with children with special needs (5%), and combination of the above factors(25%)
When asked of what factors will encourage caregivers to acquire a dental home for their children, 63 % mentioned quick appointments , followed by dentists specialized in children with special needs (51%), child friendly atmosphere(21%),low cost(26.6%), close to home (20%),and others (6%)
Majority of parents(75%) believed that the primary pediatrician of their child should initiate the dental home process.

Conclusion: Children with special needs lack proper oral health care, and it could be attributed to the lack of a dental home. The primary pediatrician’s role is crucial in initiating the process of acquiring a dental home for this special population. We will share our results with the ministry of public health of Qatar with a goal to provide awareness among primary care physicians to consider oral health as an important aspect of the overall well-being of such children and to create an easy referral system to obtain a dental home.