[Dental and oral surgical treatment of the mentally retarded in Hungary: the situation in the past, currently and hopes for the future].

Dental care for mentally disabled people poses a growing challenge for healthcare. In Hungary, the number of mentally disabled people needing special dental care is 100 000. The aim of our retrospective analysis is to provide a summary of the demographic data and the treatment outcomes of patients with mental disorders treated at the Department of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Semmelweis University in the past five years. Dental care for patients with a severe level of mental disability can be carried out in general anaesthesia only. At Semmelweis University, in the Oral and Maxillofacial Department, 1717 mentally disabled adults received dental care during the past five years. (Patients included people with a mild, medium or severe level of mental disability, patients with Down's syndrome, autism, epilepsy or panic disorder.) The single biggest achievement seems to be the fact that the issue of acute dental care and oral surgery has basically been settled. A workable relationship has been forged with foundations and organizations dealing with the problems of these patients. It has been realized, however, that in the case of mentally disabled patients there is an enormous need for prevention and ongoing care. Up to now no survey has been carried out in Hungary with the aim of objectively revealing the dental care needs of these patients. Internationally, however, several surveys have been published. It can be stated on the basis of these that both caries frequency and the presence of parodontal diseases increase in correlation with age and the level of disability. Oral hygiene is insufficient, patients or their caretakers do not get proper information, only a few of them receive adequate training and they are not motivated to keep up oral health. Dental care, except for tending acute cases, is not satisfactory. For the sake of prevention, cooperation is needed with non-governmental organizations, foundations, special education teachers and psychiatrists specialized in this field. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(35): 1380-1386.