The impact of handicap severity on oral and periodontal status of patients with mental retardation.

AIM Mental retardation (MR) subjects comprise a considerable amount of the community and are susceptible to oral and periodontal problems due to insufficient oral care. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the oral health and periodontal status of MR patients in Turkey with regard to periodontal indices and Decay missed filling teeth (DMFT) scores and compare findings according to severity of the MR. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and five MR patients were included to the study and divided into 3 groups according to MR severity diagnoses. Demographic variables like age, gender, disabled sibling, BMI, living an institution and clinical parameters like plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), missing teeth and DMFT scores were recorded from all subjects. Appropriate statistical analyses were used to compare the findings. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences between groups according to age, gender, disabled sibling, living status and DMFT scores. Clinical periodontal indices and the number of missing teeth were showed a statistically significant increasing trend with the severity of MR (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between PI and periodontal disease measures like GI, PD, CAL and BOP and also between PI and DMFT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The deteriorated teeth condition and deprived periodontal health of MR patients may be most likely caused by the poor oral hygiene and may be worsen with the severity of the MR. Clinical significance: Knowledge of oral and periodontal status of mental retardation patients has great importance for public health and family education.