Parents' oral health promotion efforts for their children with Down syndrome and the children's oral health

AIM: The study evaluated parents' oral health care experiences and practices for their children with Down syndrome and its effect on the child's teeth and gingiva's condition METHOD: 75 parents of children with Down syndrome between 0 and 16 years of age responded to 18-item bilingual questionnaire concerning their child's oral health status RESULT: Most parents rated their child's teeth and gingiva health as good. There is no correlation found between experience score and practice score (r = -0.057), and no correlation between practice score on the child's both teeth (r = -0.001) and gingiva's condition (r = 0.031).

CONCLUSION: The parental oral health care experience and practices for their children with Down syndrome are deemed sufficient. However, a tailor-made comprehensive oral health care for them is very advisable, thus eradicating the barriers and challenges.