Disability.Blog: Better Serving the Dental Needs of People with Disabilities

Better Serving the Dental Needs of People with Disabilities By Guest Blogger John Morgan, DDS, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Service at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine What many people consider fairly routine – brushing their own teeth and going to the dentist – can be a major obstacle for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Research points to a high prevalence of oral diseases for those with a variety of disabilities. In a study that colleagues at Tufts University and I recently published in The Journal of the American Dental Association, we found that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are more likely to have periodontal disease, untreated tooth decay and missing teeth than the general population. Specifically, in our review of the electronic dental records of more than 4,700 people with IDD who received regular dental care, we found: Over 80 percent of all patients had periodontitis (gum disease) 1 in 3 had untreated cavities 10.9 percent of all patients did not have any teeth Those who were 40 years and older had the highest number of decayed, missing and filled teeth Read More Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Questions about the subscription service? Contact Us STAY CONNECTED:   SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Help This email was sent to buzzhairs.health@blogger.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: Disability.gov · 200 Constitution Avenue, NW · Washington, DC 20210