Perceived oral discomfort and pain in children and adolescents with intellectual or physical disabilities as reported by their legal guardians.

AIM: This was, firstly, to study the occurrence of oral pain and discomfort, using the Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ), in children and adolescents with intellectual or physical disabilities, compared with controls. Secondly, was to analyse the relationship between pain and discomfort, as measured by the DDQ, and dental health, as well as oral hygiene habits and dietary habits.

METHODS: The study included 135 children and adolescents (12-18 years), registered at the Child and Adolescent Habilitation Unit in Göteborg and Södra Bohuslän, Sweden, and 135 gender- and age-matched controls. The children's legal guardians completed a questionnaire comprising the DDQ and questions on oral hygiene and dietary habits. Data on dental health were retrieved from dental records.

RESULTS: The DDQ total mean score was higher for the study group, compared with the control group, 3.2 (SD 2.9) vs. 1.6 (SD 2.0), respectively (p = 0.001). Furthermore, children and adolescents with a severe intellectual disability had higher total mean DDQ scores than children with a mild intellectual disability, 4.8 (SD 4.2) vs. 2.4 (SD 2.9), respectively (p = 0.034), and also higher than children with a physical disability, 2.2 (SD 2.1) (p = 0.012). There were no differences in DMFT between children with disabilities and age-matched controls. There was no relationship between the DDQ scores and oral hygiene/dietary habits in children with disabilities.

CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with intellectual or physical disabilities experienced oral discomfort and pain more often than matched controls. Dental health expressed as DMFT could not be related to the DDQ responses.