The disability makes the dental care of people whose particular needs, unfortunately, tend to be neglected, and whose care results, according to the statistics, of inferior quality compared to the treatments received by the general population. Regardless of any moral deviation, this is a sign at least of a naive and unjustified demographic histopia, denied by the ever-increasing number of older adults and the parallel increase in physical and mental disabilities.
The most frequent oral conditions in patients with disabilities are a periodontal disease (pyorrhea) and caries, oral mucosa diseases and pathological changes of occlusion and masticatory function. Of course, other factors affect the worsening of the oral health of these patients: limited or absent self-sufficiency, pharmacological therapies, and special facial or systemic features.
The dentist in Delhi NCR care of people with disabilities aims therefore to improve the oral health conditions of individuals with physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical or emotional deficits or who have a combination of the factors mentioned, as happens in the majority of cases, and this reason has limitations in their ability to receive routine dental treatments.
In the context of dentistry and oral health, the patient with a disability requires a change in the classic approach to dental care – variation without which it is impossible to receive treatment. Regardless of the severity of your condition, generally the patient with a disability has poor or no oral hygiene and has an unusually high incidence of gingival disease and caries.
The dentist in Delhi NCR of the patient with disabilities includes some precautions and requirements, including:
• An efficient and systematic approach to examination and treatment to shorten sessions as much as possible
• Knowledge of its specific medical, physical, mental or behavioral condition, to guarantee the best possible treatment in maximum safety
• Presence of a higher number of assistants during sessions and treatments for better patient monitoring and monitoring
• On-site availability of anesthesiological alternatives (local anesthesia, conscious sedation, total anesthesia) according to the required treatment and subjective characteristics (for example, very anxious patient, unable to stand still during treatment, with severe cognitive deficits, and so on)
• Flexibility in managing appointments
• Involvement of the patient’s relatives or guardians in planning and possibly in the execution of the treatment
• Ability to provide the patient and / or his tutors with specific instructions on home procedures and oral hygiene; in case of some cognitive deficits it is possible to educate the patient about the essential of oral health and hygiene, through more appositive teaching materials; it is essential to pay close attention to changes in behavior that can express the physical pain that the patient is unable to communicate in any other way.
In conclusion, patients with disabilities require special help in order to collaborate with the dentist. For some, it is sufficient to know and have developed over time a level of confidence sufficient to predict that pain will not be felt, but in other cases, for example, if the patient requires a demanding treatment, the anesthetic alternative, whether it is conscious sedation or of narcosis, is the most indicated.