Jornal Internacional de Medicina Física e Reabilitação
Acesso livre

Abstrato

Exploring Obstacles for Dental Care among the SCI Population

Amy L Sullivan, Ray Holder, Tracy Dellinger, Angelia Garner and Jessica Bailey

Study Design: Survey comparative analysis of SCI population with general population in terms of dental care. Objectives: Examine differences between spinal cord injury (SCI) population and general population in a southeastern state to explore dental care issues. Methods: Survey of 92 SCI patients with comparison to BRFSS data prevalence report.

Results: Significantly fewer SCI patients had teeth cleaned or a dental visit within the past year when compared to general population controls. People with SCI also had more teeth extracted, report worse general health, smoke more, and have a lower satisfaction of life when compared to the general population.

Conclusion: Individuals with SCI do not receive adequate oral care. Although many known obstacles for dental care have been researched, the obstacles for people with SCI to receive adequate dental care are multifaceted and warrant more study.