Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
International Research Collaboration-Oral Health and Equity, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 11;19(24):16633. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416633.
Various studies have indicated that persons with special needs may face several barriers to dental treatment, which increases the prevalence of oral diseases in this population. Moreover, these studies suggested that Saudis with special needs have a higher prevalence of oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease. The aim of this review is to synthesize evidence regarding the current status, trends in oral health behaviors, and oral health care utilization among these individuals, as well as to assess the quality of the literature. Furthermore, this review seeks to recommend directions for future research and oral health care policymaking. An electronic search was conducted using the following databases and registers: PubMed/Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and CENTRAL. Gray literature, which included conference proceedings and unpublished literature, was searched via the library services and Google/Google Scholar, and the quality of studies was assessed using the AXIS scale for cross-sectional studies. A total of 38 studies were included in this review, with the majority of the studies graded as 'low'. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that individuals with special needs have limited access to oral health care, poor oral health status, and a general lack of awareness in regard to oral health. Therefore, nationwide surveys should be carried out to ascertain the actual extent of the oral inequities among individuals with special needs.
各种研究表明，特殊需求人群在接受牙科治疗时可能会面临多种障碍，这导致该人群的口腔疾病患病率增加。此外，这些研究表明，沙特特殊需求人群的口腔疾病患病率更高，如龋齿和牙周病。本综述的目的是综合有关这些人群的当前状况、口腔健康行为趋势和口腔保健利用情况的证据，并评估文献质量。此外，本综述旨在为未来的研究和口腔保健政策制定提出建议。使用以下数据库和注册处进行了电子检索：PubMed/Medline、Embase、ISI Web of Science、Scopus、ClinicalTrials.gov 和 CENTRAL。通过图书馆服务和 Google/Google Scholar 搜索灰色文献，包括会议记录和未发表的文献，并使用横断面研究的 AXIS 量表评估研究质量。本综述共纳入 38 项研究，其中大多数研究被评为“低”。在本研究的局限性内，可以得出结论，特殊需求人群获得口腔保健的机会有限，口腔健康状况较差，对口腔健康的普遍认识不足。因此，应开展全国性调查，以确定特殊需求人群中口腔不平等的实际程度。
