Dental and hygienic education in mentally retarded children and teenagers

The article provides analysis of approaches to improve efficacy of the primary prophylaxis of major dental diseases in children and teenagers with different degree of mental deficiency. The authors developed the remedial Dental Health Lessons for mentally challenged children. The lessons addressed the complexity of individual child development and the pattern of combination for a number of factors such as: 1) social environment of development; 2) severity of personality change; and 3) patients age. Implementation of the Dental Health Lessons in the educational process of the specialized boarding schools for mentally retarded children resulted in development of conditioned reflexes of dental hygienic skills providing a background for their consistent practicing in everyday life. The Dental Health Lessons improved the oral hygiene index from 2.2±0.1 to 1.03±0.1; periodontium tissue status improved by 11.03±0.1%; and dental caries development decreased by 42.0%.