Importance of Oral Hygiene and Maintaining Oral Health in Persons With Disabilities

Abstract

This paper aims to approximate and facilitate the routine of daily oral hygiene for persons with disabilities, as well as to emphasize the importance of educating persons with disabilities and their caregivers about oral health as an essential part of overall health. Desk research of electronic databases was conducted with the aim of writing this paper, using the following keywords: ‘oral hygiene’, ‘dental plaque’, ‘oral health’ and ‘persons with disabilities’. Literature research has shown that persons with disabilities have poor oral hygiene, as well as that there is a lack of education among them and their caregivers about the importance of oral health and proper oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene can affect a person’s quality of life due to discomfort during eating, bad breath, poor self-esteem, pain, and disturbed sleep, which is a result of caries or other diseases of the oral cavity. Maintaining oral health is an essential part of overall health.

Keywords

• oral health
• oral hygiene
• persons with disabilities
• dental plaque