Chairside oral prophylaxis for people with profound intellectual or multiple disabilities—a retrospective feasibility study

OBJECTIVES: People with severe intellectual or multiple disabilities (PIMD) have been receiving dental care in a specialized unit offering special care dentistry. For most of these adult patients, the initial consultation is complaint driven. In addition, the limited ability to cooperate due to their disabilities often means that dental treatment for these patients is usually carried out under general anesthesia (GA). Chairside treatment attempts are the exception rather than the rule. This retrospective study evaluated whether consistent practice of behavioral management principles and techniques embedded in a specific dental environment enables successful dental treatment of PIMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The feasibility of chairside dental prophylaxis in PIMD (n=36) was analyzed: specific behavioral management techniques were applied, and professional tooth cleaning (PTC) was performed in the dental chair. Clinical data obtained from medical records and a questionnaire were analyzed. RESULTS: All patients had severe intellectual or multiple disabilities and had previously undergone at least one dental treatment under GA. Of these patients, 55.6% never had their teeth professionally cleaned before. Applying different behavioral techniques, all patients were compliant with receiving PTC in the dental chair. CONCLUSIONS: An individualized and disability-specific treatment strategy using various noninvasive and nonpharmacological behavioral guidance techniques resulted in a higher compliance rate in PIMD, which allowed chairside PTC and reduced the need for treatment under GA. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Consistent implementation of various behavioral guidance techniques and communication strategies in a supportive environment enabled all patients to receive chairside PTC and be involved in a lifelong recall program.