Oral functional, developmental and hygienic problems, and their association in handicapped children

part I. Oral function and feeding situation of handicapped children, with particular reference to the cerebral palsied

Abstract

To understand the relationships among many aspect of oral disorders in handicapped children, we have been involved in investigating the oral conditions of the cerebral palsied and mentally retarded children in three institutions in Japan. As the first part of the study, we evaluated degree of oral myofunctional disorders and feeding situations of the children, to clarify the relationship between the oral functional disorders and feeding habits, gross motor development, developmental age and types of food.