Profile of special needs patients at a pediatric dentistry clinic - doi:10.5020/18061230.2011.p136

Abstract

Objective: To assess the characteristics of special needs patients assisted at the Clinic of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Pará. Methods: A descriptive observational study conducted from March 2007 to December 2009, assessing 137 records of which were extracted the following data: gender, age, origin, current and past medical history, type of special needs and major oral diseases. We applied descriptive statistics, one-dimensional frequency table and prepared graphs of the results. Results: We found 77 (56.2%) male patients, with mean age of 8.1 years; 118 (86.2%) living in the state capital of Para, 21 (15.3%) with respiratory problems, 37 (27.3%) with some allergy to medications and 54 (39.4%) making use of controlled drugs. Regarding the type of special need, we observed that 29 (28.3%) had neurologic and psychomotor delay and the primary oral disease found was dental caries, affecting 84 (61.3%) subjects. Conclusion: The assessed profile of patients with special needs is characterized by patients residing in the state capital of Para, with predominance of male children, with neurologic and psychomotor delay, with a mean age of 8.1 years, presenting mainly caries