Age, degree of mental retardation, institutionalization, and socioeconomic status as determinants in the oral hygiene status of mentally retarded individuals.

Oral hygiene has been implicated as a casual factor in the development of dental caries and periodontal disease in mentally retarded individuals. Little attention, however, has been given to the determinants of oral hygiene status. The present paper assesses the oral hygiene status of institutionalized (I) and noninstitutionalized (NI) mentally retarded (MR) individuals aged 4 through 25, in relation to age, degree of mental retardation, and socioeconomic status. Institutional status was found to be a major determinant in oral hygiene conditions of the study group, as IMR individuals had significantly higher OHI scores than NIMR individuals. Associations of age and OHI were significant only for NIMR. Although differences between I and NI groups, with respect to degree of mental retardation, were seen for mildly, moderately, and severely retarded, no significant difference in OHI scores between I and NI profoundly retarded was seen. Socioeconomic status was not found to be a significant factor in the oral hygiene status of MR individuals. This study emphasizes the need to assess age, degree of mental retardation, and institutional status when implicating oral hygiene in caries and periodontal disease prevalence in MR individuals.