[Preventive and therapeutic dental care for people with various disabilities in Argentina]

Inequalities in oral health care among people with disabilities are a global challenge. Objective: To determine the oral health status and the different preventive/therapeutic actions performed on patients with different types of disabilities.

A retrospective study of patients with disabilities, of both sexes, treated at the Interdisciplinary Dental Care Service for Patients with Disabilities, FO-UNC, between 2012 and 2023 (project approved by the Academic Research Council of the Faculty of Dentistry-UNC). Results:

Data were collected from n=193 patient medical records. 84.6% presented poor/fair oral hygiene. 28.6% had an anterior open bite, and the same percentage showed an anterior covered bite. Other pathologies observed were hypodontia, microdontia, and andontia. 4.92% presented incorrect phonation, and 21.3% atypical swallowing. A total of 2.17% had supernumerary teeth. The average number of missing, extracted, and filled caries per patient varied across different tooth surfaces; while the average number of extracted and filled caries was 4 cavities (range 0–18). Clean and motivation procedures were performed in 70% of cases. Other types of dental treatments included extractions, root canals, and dental surgeries. Eighty-five percent of patients attended care for only half or less of a visit.

Patients with disabilities presented with poor oral health, including a high number of cavities and poor oral hygiene. Many of them are probably unable to adequately follow the dentist's instructions, either due to economic or accessibility issues, or because the underlying pathology itself has worsened.