Dental Management of Children with Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) – A Review

Oral health of children with special health care needs has been one of grey areas in the field of pediatric dentistry. There has been a general agreement that disabled population has higher prevalence of dental caries, poor oral hygiene, and compromised gingival and periodontal health than the otherwise healthy population. In the past the emphasis has been made on providing basic dental care but in the recent years, the dental professionals and parental groups have shown increased concerns in providing complete oral health care to children with special health care needs. This is as a result of realization that individuals with disability, whether developmental or acquired, are entitled to opportunity to achieve appropriate rehabilitation, to enable them realize their maximum level of functioning. Children with special health care needs present unique challenges for both pediatric and general dentists in order to provide them access to the oral health care system by establishing a treatment plan for those with unique medical, behavioral and dental needs and maintaining oral health over the lifetime. The purpose of this article is to describe the characteristics of some common developmental disabilities and medically compromised states and the challenges these issues present to the oral healthcare practitioner.