Evaluation of Periodontal Status and Treatment Needs of Institutionalized Intellectually Disabled Individuals in Lebanon

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: No reported data is available on the periodontal health and treatment needs of the intellectually disabled in Lebanon. To evaluate the periodontal condition and treatment needs of institutionalized intellectually disabled individuals in Lebanon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 272 individuals (141 males and 131 females) aged 15 years and 35–44 years were examined. Periodontal health was recorded following the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN), and treatment need was assigned accordingly. The IBM(®) SPSS(®) statistics 20.0 and Stata/SE 11.1 statistical packages were used to carry out all statistical analyses. Statistical analysis was performed using linear regression (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: Healthy periodontium was recorded in 26.1%, bleeding on probing in 27.9%, supra-/sub-gingival calculus in 31.3%, pockets of 4–5 mm in 11% and ≥6 mm in 3.7%. The largest proportion of the sample was in need for oral hygiene instruction and calculus removal (42.3%). Age, geographical location, consumption of carbohydrate-rich meals and sweets between meals were significantly associated with CPITN score severity in multivariate analysis (P < 0.05). Gender, severity of disability, frequency of tooth brushing, and caretaker characteristics were not significant predictors of CPITN (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The predominantly poor periodontal health and social inequalities warrant nationwide preventive oral health programs in addition to planning the provision of treatment services to meet existing treatment needs.