Mouthing Off

As the summer winds down, many parents are turning their attention to back-to-school preparations. According to the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, those preparations should include a trip to the dentist.

“Regular dental visits are important year-round, but a back-to-school checkup is key in fighting the most common chronic disease found in school-age children: cavities. In fact, dental disease causes children to miss more than 51 million school hours each year,” say the ADA and the AAP.

If your child has special needs, she may have special dental needs as well. Based on statistics gathered by the National Museum of Dentistry in partnership with the Kennedy Krieger Institute Center for Autism and Related Disorders and the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, 

• Children with special needs have higher rates of poor oral hygiene, gingivitis, periodontal disease than the general public
• Medications, special diets and oral motor habits can cause oral health problems for many children with special needs
• Dental care is the leading unmet health need among children with special needs
• Across all income levels, children with special needs are almost twice as likely to have an unmet oral health care need than peers without special needs

Depending upon the nature of your child’s disabilities, various techniques and tools may be helpful. The National Museum of Dentistry’s Healthy Smiles for Autism Guide provides information and suggestions for helping children with autism spectrum disorders maintain good oral health at home. These include:

• Giving your child choices when it comes to styles of toothbrushes, textures and tastes of toothpastes and dental flosses
• Maintaining a consistent dental hygiene routine
• Providing plenty of positive reinforcement and praise
• Making dental hygiene into a game

Individuals with some motor challenges may be able to care for their own teeth using adapted dental tools. In it’s online caregiver’s guide, The National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research suggests these easy assists:

• Make the toothbrush easier to hold by fastening the toothbrush to your child’s hand with Velcro straps or rubber bands
• Cut a slit in a tennis ball and then slide it onto the toothbrush handle to make it larger and easier to hold
• Buy a toothbrush with a larger handle or slide a bicycle grip onto the toothbrush handle to make it larger and easier to hold
• Try having your child use an electric toothbrush instead of a manual brush

Oral Motor Chew Sets #3071, #3071M, #3071H

Children with sensory integration disorders who like to chew can satisfy sensory cravings while also improving oral health by using Enabling Device’s Oral Motor Chew Sets.
 If your child is unable to brush or floss on his own, you and/or his caregivers may wish to experiment to find out what works best. The National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research’s online Caregiver’s Guide provides tips on handling behavior challenges, alleviating anxiety, maintaining a routine and how best to position your body when brushing and flossing your child’s teeth.
Finally, you’ll want to find a dentist with expertise in caring for children with special needs. You can find dentists trained to treat patients with special needs by visiting the website of the Special Care Dentistry Association.