Abstract
The prevalence of periodontal diseases in 67 severely disabled patients (SDP) was investigated. The age of the patients ranged from 6 to 39. The intelligence quotient (IQ) of each patient was less than 30. Patients were diagnosed as cerebral palsy, Down's disease or congenital disbolism and hospitalized in a ward for SDP. Thirty four patients were administered antiepileptics and 19 of them received diphenylhydantoin (DPH).
The measurement of plaque index (Pl. I.), calculus index (C. I.), probing pocket depth (P. D.), bleeding index (B. I.) and salivary occult blood level revealed that the SDP had serious problem in maintaining healthy periodontium. Calculus Index, B. I. and salivary occult blood level of the patients, aged between 20 and 29, were significantly higher than the group, aged between 10 and 19. Patients of DPH group had higher C. I., P. D., B. I., and salivary occult blood level than non-DPH group.
Most of the patients received a brief oral hygiene procedure, once a day, with a tooth brush which was performed by a nurse. Meals for the patients were mainly consisted of soft food and the masticatory movents of the patients were limited. This must be one of the causes for obtaining such high scores in clinical examinations in SDP.
An effective and simple procedure must be developed to establish good oral hygiene in SDP.
