Utomi I L
Department of Child Dental Health, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
Afr J Med Med Sci. 2005 Sep;34(3):239-43.
Orthodontic care for handicapped children in Nigeria has generally been neglected. There is a need for baseline data for effective planning of orthodontic services for this population group. The purpose of this study was to determine the need for interceptive orthodontic intervention in handicapped children in Lagos, Nigeria. The sample consisted of 106 handicapped children, 60 boys and 46 girls who were 7-10 years old, selected from 5 special schools in Lagos. Overall, forty-nine (46.2%) of the children had a need for interceptive orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic intervention was needed in 20.7% of the children due to crossbite of the anterior and lateral segments. Extraction was indicated in 4.7% of the children with retained primary teeth and in 1.9% of children with erupted supernumerary teeth. Orthodontic treatment or education was needed in 16.1% of the children due to oral habits. Three(2.8%) of the children presented with proclination of the maxillary anterior teeth with moderate spacing. In 10.4% of the children, there was a need for further inspection in order to follow-up the development of the occlusion. This study has revealed a significant need for interceptive orthodontic treatment among handicapped children in Lagos, Nigeria. Appropriate policy action and strategies to improve oral health education and provide publicly funded programmes will be required.
在尼日利亚，残疾儿童的正畸治疗普遍被忽视。为该人群有效规划正畸服务需要基线数据。本研究的目的是确定尼日利亚拉各斯残疾儿童对阻断性正畸干预的需求。样本包括106名残疾儿童，60名男孩和46名女孩，年龄在7至10岁之间，从拉各斯的5所特殊学校中选取。总体而言，49名（46.2%）儿童需要阻断性正畸治疗。20.7%的儿童因前牙和侧牙段反合需要正畸干预。4.7%乳牙滞留的儿童和1.9%多生牙萌出的儿童需要拔牙。16.1%的儿童因口腔习惯需要正畸治疗或指导。3名（2.8%）儿童上颌前牙前倾且有中度间隙。10.4%的儿童需要进一步检查以跟踪咬合发育情况。本研究表明，尼日利亚拉各斯的残疾儿童对阻断性正畸治疗有很大需求。需要采取适当的政策行动和策略来改善口腔健康教育并提供公共资助项目。
