• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.7-10
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• 2018

Special care dentistry, also known as special needs dentistry, is concerned with the oral health of people who have intellectual disability, or who are affected by other medical, physical, or psychiatric issues. Dental schools must educate dental students for the competency in managing and treating individuals with special health care needs. The purpose of this study is to identify the current status of special care dentistry education in Korean dental schools. A questionnaire relating to the education of special care dentistry was sent to eleven dental schools in Korea via email. The result turned out that eight out of eleven schools had classroom teaching of special care dentistry, while only four had practical teaching programs. Nine schools had dental clinics for the disabled, in which two of them had special care clinics within the Pediatric dentistry clinic, and other seven in separate clinical sites. Despite the increased interest in special care dentistry, education including classroom teaching and practical teaching was still insufficient and needed more development. This study implicated a small but valuable understanding of special needs dentistry education in Korea.

• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.85-90
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• 2013

The aim of this research is to compare the attitude toward the special needs of dental staffs between the special dental clinic (SDC) and the general dental clinic (GDC). Surveys were done on 21 dental staffs (7 dentists and 14 dental hygienists) of SDC and 47 dental staffs (10 dentists and 37 dental hygienists) of GDC. Attitudes were rated on a questionnaire with the five-point Likert scale. Mann-Whitney test was utilized for statistical analysis. In SDC, more female dentists and dental staffs who have relatives with disability were working. Dental staffs of SDC showed that the more experience they had, the more positive attitudes toward the communication with the patients with special needs (p<0.05). Dental staffs of SDC represented more active attitudes toward the oral health promotion, treatment, research and volunteering (p<0.05). In conclusion, dental staffs who have personal motivation were working in SDC and the experience of dental treatment to the patients with special needs influenced the dental staffs' attitudes toward them. In future, a research about the attitude toward the disabled with more exact scale should be followed.

• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.11-17
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• 2013

This paper classified the articles of special needs dentistry(SND) published in Korean medical database according to thematic distribution and chronological change to assess recent academic trends and indicate the direction of study in the future. We selected articles in 17 dental journals registered with the Korea Research Foundation This study found that the total number of articles of SND was 292 in 17 journals from 1973 to 2012. The biggest number of articles of SND was published in the journal of the Korean Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, which means pediatric dentists contribute to dental treatment of people who need special care. According to growing number of people with disabilities, the number of articles related in SND has been increased since 2000. Also, the aged and children as well as people with disabilities fit into the category of SND and the scope of SND has been enlarged. So dentists should concern and study more about SND in the future.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.205-216
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• 2022

Background: People with special needs tend to require diverse behavioral management in dentistry. They may feel anxious or uncomfortable or may not respond to any communication with the dentists. Patients with medical, physical, or psychological disorders may not cooperate and therefore require sedation (SED) or general anesthesia (GA) to receive dental treatment. Using the healthcare big data in Korea, this study aimed to analyze the trends of SED and GA in special needs patients undergoing dental treatment. It is believed that these data can be used as reference material for hospitals and for preparation of guidelines and related policy decisions of associations or governments for special needs patients in dentistry. Methods: The study used selected health information data provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Patients with a record of use of one of the eight selected drugs used in dental SED between January 2007 and September 2019, those with International Classification of Diseases-10 codes for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), phobia, brain disease, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, genetic disease, autism, mental disorder, mental retardation, and dementia were selected. The insurance claims data were analyzed for age, sex, sedative use, GA, year, and institution. Results: The number of special needs patients who received dental treatment under SED or GA from January 2007 to September 2019 was 116,623. Number of SED cases was 136,018, performed on 69,265 patients, and the number of GA cases was 56,308, implemented on 47,257 patients. In 2007, 3100 special needs patients received dental treatment under SED while in 2018 the number of cases increased 6 times to 18,528 SED cases. In dentistry, ADHD was the most common disability for SED cases while phobia was the most common cause of disability for GA. The male-to-female ratio with respect to SED cases was higher for males (M : F = 64.36% : 35.64%). Conclusion: The application of the SED method and GA for patients with special needs in dentistry is increasing rapidly; thus, preparing guidelines and reinforcing the education and system are necessary.

• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.91-97
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to explore perceptions of dental student of patients with special care. Their satisfaction with education, and their professional attitudes and behavioral intentions concerning treating these patients were the issues of this paper. Paper-and-pencil survey data were collected from 289 dental students at the school of dentistry, Seoul National University. Most respondents agreed that it is important to be educated about providing care for patients with special needs at the school. The higher grade students they are, they got the higher degree of understanding about treating these patients and the more satisfaction with the education. However, their intentions to treat these patients in their future professional lives were negatively correlated with degree of students. Based on these findings, it is recommended that school curriculum about treating patients with special care be reconsidered to develop students' comfort level in treating special needs populations.

• 대한치과의사협회지
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• 제49권12호
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• pp.732-738
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• 2011

Special needs patient are one of the underserved dental patient groups in Korea. However, Lack of attitudes to oral care and the knowledge of health professionals are identified as barriers to oral health for people with disabilities. Health authorities have a key role in ensuring that the need for a comprehensive dental services is met. This review may help oral health professionals understand the dental considerations according types of disabilities and provide appropriate and necessary dental care for special needs patients.

• 대한치과의사협회지
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• 제53권11호
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• pp.770-778
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• 2015

This article discusses how to conduct treatment planning and decision making in special needs dentistry. Special needs patients often lack cooperative ability during dental treatment and have a deteriorated oral health status. To overcome the limitation in communication with special needs patients and solve their complicated dental problems, dentists need to have extensive preoperative information about the patients and their caregivers. Treatment procedures should be organized in a patient-centered and cost-effective manner. Additionally, clinical outcomes need to be predicted taking into consideration of the patients' condition. The clinical experience of committed dentists is another factor that enhances the benefits of extensive treatment in special needs patients with many limitations. The insightful treatment decision-making of dentists will contribute to improving the oral health of special needs patients despite the various obstacles.

• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.50-54
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• 2016

Regular dental visit of disabled patients is an important strategy for maintenance of oral health because of the lack of awareness of oral care. But there is limited information about follow up period in disabled patients after dental treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of dental visit and dental management of special care needs patients according to the types of disabilities. A total of 140 patients who received dental treatment at Seoul National University Dental Hospital from 2010 to 2012 were reviewed. Patients were divided 3 groups according to the types of disabilities (disorder of external physical function, disorder of internal organ, psychic disability). Patient's characteristic, dental treatment performed, follow up period and frequency were investigated. The mean follow up period was 28.2 months and average frequency of visit was 3.69 times per year. There was no difference in period and annual visit between 3 groups, but significantly difference in cooperation with medical hospital in affiliation. Regular check-up was the most common dental treatment in all groups. In psychic disorder group, the proportion of sedative treatment was significantly higher than other groups. The results of this study provide information necessary for treatment planning and dental management of disabled patients.

• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.53-57
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• 2015

Most special health care needs (SHCN) people suffer from oral health problems due to high incidence and severity of oral disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of dental treatment provided in this patient population. The study population comprised 485 SHCN patients who visited Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital from 2006 to 2014. Based on the medical record, the date were evaluated according to age, gender, type of disorder, reason for visit, type of behavior management, and type of dental treatment. The most common age group was 7-12 year olds (26%). The chief compliant was dental caries (39%), as followed by oral exam (12%) and trauma (12%). Approximately half of SHCN patients (45.9%) was treated under behavior management. Restorative treatment was the most common procedure with the average of 2.9 teeth treated per patient. The results of the present study may be valuable for establishing the data of SHCN patients for primary dental care.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.191-199
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• 2019

Background: Patients with special health care needs are more likely to develop health problems, including dental problems. Dental treatments require a good level of communication with the patient. Therefore, in these patients, sedation and general anesthesia are an extremely humanistic approach for comfortable and successful treatment. In patients with special needs, there is no standard anesthetic approach due to varying clinical conditions. The aim of this study was to provide literature content about the anesthetic approaches used by us in patients with special needs. Methods: The medical records of 710 patients with special health care needs treated under general anesthesia or sedation were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data, the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, Mallampati score, anesthesia duration, anesthesia type, anesthetic and analgesic agents used, dental treatment performed, secondary diseases, and complications in the perioperative period were recorded. Patients were evaluated under five groups: Down syndrome, other syndromes, psychiatric disorders, physical disabilities, and complicated medical story. Results: Among the patients evaluated, 47.5% were females and 52.5% were males (mean age $15.76{\pm}11.17$ years), and general anesthesia and sedation were administered in 72.9% and 22.1% patients, respectively. The mean duration of anesthesia was $43.20{\pm}35.85$ min. Simple dental treatments were performed in all groups, and the most common complications were observed in the other syndromes group. Conclusion: Complications can be reduced by utilizing the appropriate anesthetic approach and taking serious precautions in patients with special needs.