Oral Hygiene in People with Disability

Aims: To determine the effect of an educative intervention on the oral hygiene of people with Down
Syndrome in two special education schools in Celaya, Gto.
Study Design: Quantitative, correlational, quasi-experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: The experimental group of the school of Special Education Mariana
and the control group of the Center of Attention Multiple Henri Wallon in Celaya, Gto, between May
2016 and April 2017.
Methodology: We included 30 students (14 men, 16 women; age range 6-21 years) with Down
Syndrome. An instrument based on Orem's theory was used to evaluate self-care abilities in oral
hygiene and a National Autonomous University of Mexico format of personal control of the
dentobacterial plaque. The intervention "Oral hygiene in people with Down Syndrome" was
implemented. All was analyzed with Student t for paired means and Student t for independent groups,
and P-value.
Results: Self-care skills showed a significant change after the nursing intervention (P = .009),
knowledge (P = .02) and skills (P = .003); which had no significant difference were motivations
(P = .23) and the percentage of dentobacterial plaque (P = .40).
Conclusion: It is fundamental to apply a nursing intervention to improve the oral hygiene of people
with Down Syndrome favoring their capacities for self-care and preventing oral pathologies. But
nurses need more training in psychoeducation to improve motivation in people.