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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
[Dental evaluation in the disabled: case-control study]
Maria Teresa Bernardi1, Renzo Zanotti
1Servizio Professioni Sanitarie, Azienda ULSS n. 3, Bassano del Grappa.
Abstract:
Impaired dental status in the mentally retarded is one of the principal secondary conditions limiting daily activities such as eating and talking, causing pain, loss of sleep and function, and low self-esteem. Little information is available regarding the dental status of the mentally retarded disable attending day centers in Italy. The aim of this study was to provide such information, enrolling 6 day centers in the Veneto region comprising a total number of 65 mentally retarded subjects aged between 19 and 44 years of age. Data were collected using 2 different instruments. Results showed a significantly higher number of teeth missing in the mentally disabled (9.2) in comparison to the control group (2.3), although this figure is lower than the international one.
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