Dental Management Of Children With Intellectual Disability

The care for the special child as with any other pediatric dental patient, involves the pediatric dentistry treatment triangle in which the child, the parent/guardian and the dental team form the three corners of the triangle. A special child is one who show great variations in personality, maturity, temperament and emotions. Additionally, children with disabilities may vary in cognitive reasoning, behavioral repertoires and communication skills. The specific needs are due to the inabilities/difficulties which are experienced by these individuals in accessing the services provided for the general population and in fulfilling their social role. The family of the child forms the second component of the pediatric triangle. A family with special child is vulnerable to stress especially mothers who take more responsibility for the child. The parents of children with SHCN seek certain qualities from the dental team like respect, involvement, continuity, knowledge, and availability. These five qualities might be regarded as a matter of course, but apparently these needs had not been met. Care to these children require support from the whole dental team. The dental treatment for these children with disabilities vary greatly and it is duty of the pediatric dentist to develop skills and knowledge in treating children with disability.