Profile of patients with special needs attended at the Faculty of Odontology of the Superior School são Francisco de Assis

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about one billion people worldwide are living with some form of disability, some 15% of the world’s population. Patients with Special Needs (PNE) have frequent dental problems, such as caries and gingivitis, often justified by the inability to oral hygiene, due to physical or cognitive difficulties. To define the profile of PNEs attended in the discipline of Supervised Internship for Special Patients and Odontogeriatrics I and II, from the dental clinic of the São Francisco de Assis Higher School (ESFA). The data were collected from patients’ charts from 2011 to 2017, with information on age, gender, color, patient care, origin, gestational period, type of delivery, clinical diagnosis, drugs of continuous use, procedures performed and referral to care in a hospital environment. Of the 388 charts analyzed, 57% corresponded to males and 42% to females. The patients’ ages ranged from 03 to 93 years, with an average of 25.37 (± 15.61). Only 20.1% of the patients (n = 78) came from the municipality of Santa Teresa, the university’s headquarters, and the rest were distributed in several regions of the state of Espírito Santo. Regarding the patients’ profile, 61 (15.7%) had a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, 59 (15.2%) had intellectual disability, followed by epilepsy 42 (10.8%), social deviations 36 (9 , 3%) and autistic disorder 24 (6.1%). Among the congenital defects, Down’s syndrome was the most prevalent with 29 cases (7.5%). Only 61 patients (10.8%) reported not using medications. Antipsychotic drugs (22.9% / n = 130), followed by anticonvulsants (13.4% / n = 75), benzodiazepines (9.7% / n = 55), antidepressants ( 7.5% / n = 43) and antihypertensive agents (6.1% / n = 35). As to the dental needs of the patients, 214 underwent restorative procedures, 191 fluoride topical application, 172 prophylaxis, 169 radiographic examinations, 142 periodontal treatments, 142 dental extractions, 28 endodontics, 11 prostheses, 41 others procedures. Only 4% needed to be referred to hospital care. The majority of patients requiring specialized dental treatment were young males with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, where practically all of them use some type of medication, especially antipsychotics. The restorative procedures were the greatest dental needs.