BACKGROUND: A wide range of oral health conditions has been studies in disabled populations. Many studies showed
that the oral health of individuals who were disabled was poor and their oral treatment needs were greater than those of
the general population. This study aimed to determine caries experience, levels of oral hygiene, periodontal health and
prevalence of malocclusion in a sample of disabled subjects.
METHODS: Five special care needs schools were randomly selected from the list of schools in Kerman and all attendants
were examined for dental status on the basis of WHO criteria, gingival health and oral hygiene behaviors. Data were
analyzed by ANOVA and chi-square tests.
RESULTS: There were 297 participants in the study. The most frequent group of disability was mental retard. The mean
decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) score was 5.14. Ninety percent of subjects had gingival inflammation. There
was no significant (P = 0.34) difference between caries experiences of different disable groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Oral hygiene of disabled groups was poor and their caries experience rate was very high. Special oral
health care program for them is recommended.
KEY WORDS: Special care, oral health, oral hygiene, disability
