Caries

CARIES EN NIÑOS CON RETRASO MENTAL Y SINDROME DE DOWN
Con el propósito de determinar la prevalencia de caries dental en personas con retraso mental (RM) y Síndrome de Down (SD) se realizó una investigación descriptiva transversal.
Se visitó la escuela especial ubicada en el Municipio Morán, Estado Lara, Venezuela, la cual cumplía con los criterios de inclusión, se realizó el diagnostico desalud bucal de 60 alumnos y entrevistó a los padres y/o representantes.
La edad promedio de los participantes fue de 14,5 ± 8,17 y 48,3 % pertenecen a la clase social obrero. En relación con la salud bucal 53 % presentaba caries dental, de ellos 51,7 % en los molares. Las personas con RM moderado presentaron el mayor porcentaje de caries dental (75 %). Aproximadamente 53 % de las mujeres y 46,2 % delos varones, 64,4 % y 31,9 % de los participantes con RM y SD, tenían caries dental, respectivamente. Requerían tratamiento dental urgente 28,3 % de los participantes, y 45 % utilizaban los servicios odontológicos públicos.
Las personas con RM y SD presentan una precaria salud bucal por lo que se recomienda la creación de programas dirigidos a estas personas.

Mental retardation (MR), includingDown syndrome (DS), can affect people of all races and social class. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 3% of world population has some type of MRI, with Africa and Asia continent with the highest prevalence on the other hand, Latin America ranks fifth in the world with 13.8 million people with MR (1).

Traditionally, people with MR are isolated from the rest of their peers,rather than be encouraged to continue a full and healthy life. However, in the last forty years have seen a change in the behavior of people towards people with MRI, in addition, little attention has been dedicated to solving health status and service needs of people with MR in the last four decades (2).

The goal in health for 2010 proposed by the WHO, "Healthy People 2010" (3), is the reduction ofhealth disparities populations. Disparities in oral health status and access to dental care in children are of particular epidemiological importance, since there is a low utilization of health services in children of any age as dental caries disease most prevalent in this group population.

For the millions of people worldwide with MR and DS, dental care is generally not a priority, the medicalcomplications that does not escape this population are taken into account more interest in family and health authorities. Oral health care is still the only need is not covered in the comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation of patients with MR both in quality and quantity. Dental problems are among the top ten causes that limit the activity of these persons, including tooth decay, tooth lossand periodontal disease are the most frequent diseases in this population (4.5).

Ignorance of the situation in Lara State, has led to the realization of a research to determine the oral health status of people with MR and DS in the municipalities where there are special school, one of which the municipality Moran, with the order to propose to the authorities of state health care programs in oralhealth clinics and regional hospitals, led to this special population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In order to determine the prevalence of dental caries in people with MRI was performed a descriptive investigation. We used a probability sample of clusters with a two-stage sampling. In the first stage, clusters were formed consisting of special schools located in seven municipalities, which willserve four people with different pathologies (Mild-Moderate Mental Retardation including Down syndrome), resulting in 88 clusters. For the selection of clusters to be included, used the simple random sampling with a confidence level of 95%, an estimate of sampling error of 0.05 and a probability of finding oral health problems in people with mental retardation 0.40. The sample consisted of 15...