Issues to be Addressed Regarding the Dental Health of Facility Residents with Intellectual Disabilitie

Abstract

Purpose The dental health of handicapped individuals is largely influenced by social welfare system and economic conditions, and is an issue that has yet to be given adequate attention. This study examines dental health care for facility residents with intellectual disabilities, and investigates what kind of dental support could be provided to them by dental professionals in the future. Methods We conducted a comprehensive overview of the field of dentistry for the disabled both overseas and in Japan, assessed the current situation with regard to dental care for the disabled based on previous research, and examined the issues that need to be addressed with regard to dental care for facility residents with intellectual disabilities. Conclusions Provision of dental care to facility residents with intellectual disabilities has many challenges due to the nature of the disability and because these individuals are limited in their levels of dental self-care, making the role of helpers vitally important. However, it has been shown that the staff of facilities find providing help with tooth brushing to be particularly burdensome, and do not provide adequate assistance. Thus, the most important issue is to reduce the sense of burden felt by staff members and to ensure that they are providing patients with adequate help with tooth brushing. To do this, it is essential to accurately ascertain the lifestyles and dental health conditions of individuals who receive help with tooth brushing, identify the reasons that staff members find tooth-brushing assistance to be particularly burdensome, and use that information to investigate effective support policies for the staff.