The oral health of long-term residents of a hospital for the intellectually handicapped and psychiatrically ill.

The oral health of 207 intellectually handicapped and psychiatrically ill people resident in a long-term hospital was examined. Almost three-quarters of the population were mentally retarded, a similar proportion had secondary medical problems in addition to their main reason for admission, and almost all were taking at least one medication. Half of the population was edentulous and one-quarter of the edentulous wore a denture or were considered capable of wearing a denture. The dentate population had a mean of 22.8 (SD, 7.6) teeth, but their condition was poor with a mean of 3.2 (SD, 4.4) decayed teeth. There were fewer filled teeth than in the national population of similar age, and more teeth were decayed and missing. Although root caries was not a significant problem, oral hygiene and periodontal disease were--83.5 percent of subjects required scaling and cleaning and 17.7 percent complex periodontal therapy. Two-thirds of the population were amenable to treatment in the dental surgery, and one-third required a general anaesthetic for most dental treatment. A greater proportion of people who were mentally retarded or had Down's Syndrome required special facilities or an escort nurse to facilitate dental treatment than those who were psychiatrically ill. The findings have implications for those seeking to provide care for these groups of people living in the community.